CAES News
Vote YES on S. 3711 -- Why? Jobs, That's Why.
A vote for S. 3711 — The Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 — is a vote to keep jobs in America, where they belong. When the Senate considers S. 3711 this week, Senators need to remember the impact high energy costs have had on job losses in the U.S.:
• The National Association of Manufacturers estimates that, since 2000 when U.S. energy prices began sky-rocketing, more than 3.1 million jobs have been lost as a result of high U.S. energy prices.
• Job loss is staggering across many industries since 2000:
> Forest products: nearly 250 mills have closed and 182,000 jobs lost
> Chemical industry: nearly 100,000 jobs have been lost or exported overseas to markets with far lower energy gas prices
> High natural gas prices and low-cost imports have forced 20 U.S. fertilizer plants to close in recent years, hurting hard-working American farmers
• It’s not just industries that are hurting, it’s institutional energy users as well.
• In 2005, the Loudoun County (VA) school system’s natural gas bill increased more than 47% ($537,000) or enough to hire 8 full-time teachers; when all increased energy costs are factored in, the amount could fund 13.3 teachers in one of the highest paying school jurisdictions in the nation.
| By voting YES on S. 3711, the U.S. Senate can reverse a more than 25-year ‘Just Say No’ energy policy. We can safely access the abundant supplies of American energy on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Some estimate that the OCS has enough oil to meet demand for 20 years and enough gas to heat our homes for 20 years. Congress holds the key to ending the current energy crisis in the U.S. VOTE YES ON S. 3711 – AMERICA IS COUNTING ON YOUR VOTE. |