Real Energy Solutions

Virginia's middle class families are getting squeezed by the rising cost of healthcare, the mortgage crisis, and higher food prices. But nowhere are people feeling more pinched than at the pump. Whether it's the laid-off worker in Martinsville who can no longer afford to commute 30-40 miles every day to seek work, or the small business owner in Appomattox who has to cut back on employee benefits because of crushing energy prices, the fifth district is hurting because both parties in Washington have dropped the ball.

Unlike the OPEC crisis of the 1970s, politicians saw this one coming from miles away. It makes me furious they couldn't get anything done in Washington because of partisan gridlock and plain old corruption. When the car companies can make more profit buying off a politician than they can building more fuel-efficient cars and trucks, you know the system is broken. While Washington refuses to act, Americans have lowered gas prices by driving less this summer.

We need short-term relief for families right now, but we should not let this crisis pass without doing the tough, long-term work necessary to achieve energy independence within a generation.

Increased domestic offshore drilling is an important, but small part of a comprehensive energy solution. Even generous estimates have said that we could open every acre of American land to drilling and still not produce the oil needed to run America at the rate we currently consume. "Drill here, drill now" makes for a nice campaign slogan in an election year, but as most citizens know, it's not going to make a real difference in prices now, and it's certainly not going to solve our dependence on fossil fuels. We must get beyond two-cent solutions to four-dollar problems.

There are a few things we can do immediately, for example, pass a middle-class tax rebate, crack down on oil speculators, and strengthen the U.S. dollar by balancing our budget. These are common-sense solutions that Washington can accomplish if politicians can get over the gridlock and come together to get results.

Beyond that, we must make the long-term investment in alternative energies and energy efficiency technology. If I'm blessed enough to get to Washington, I pledge to do everything I can to put the fifth district at the forefront of the new energy economy. I speak with farmers who are ready to become freedom fighters in the struggle to get us off foreign oil. The federal government should give them the incentives for developing that technology and a path for bringing those technologies to market. We must modernize our energy grid if we ever want biofuels made from switchgrass and wood pallets to reach consumers.

When faced with a challenge, Americans have always been ready to meet it with ingenuity, hard work, and determination. If new leaders have the same grit and determination as the American people, we can solve the energy crisis.

Tom Perriello is the Democratic candidate for Congress in Virginia's Fifth District. You can find out more about his campaign at www.PerrielloForCongress.com or by visiting one of our seven district offices in: Appomattox, Bedford, Charlottesville, Danville, Farmville, Martinsville, and Moneta.