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TORRINGTON — State Sen. David Cappiello, R-24th District, unveiled a plan Tuesday to address rising gas and energy prices.

During a press conference at Marola Motor Sales, Cappiello called the Democratic Congress’ approach to energy one of “false choices,” and outlined his own comprehensive plan to address America’s short- and long-term needs.

“For too long, Congress has used fear mongering and special-interest politics to force America to make a false choice on energy policy: between meeting today’s demand and investing in a cleaner future,” Cappiello said. “We can and must, do both, because high energy prices are rippling through our economy, causing job losses, higher food prices and tighter family budgets. My plan for affordable and secure energy addresses our short-term needs and realities while building a cleaner, more efficient future.”

Cappiello said his proposal embraces all responsible options available to Americans while investing in renewable fuels and conservation measures that will transform the energy market in the future.

 “Congressman [Chris] Murphy’s policy is ‘Just Say No’ to responsible options like increasing domestic oil and gas production through offshore drilling and increasing the use of nuclear power,” Cappiello said.

Cappiello is running against U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy to seize the Democrat’s 5th District seat.

“I don’t understand how anyone of either party can look their constituents in the eyes in an era of $4.39 gasoline and deny them that promise of relief. It is unconscionable that as family budgets are tightening, government makes the problem worse through costly and inefficient mandates for ethanol and specialized blends of fuel that are neither used nor wanted.”

Cappiello said his plan also contains long-term incentives for renewable fuels and conservation measures that will help supplement and transform the energy market.
“We need to treat research and development of renewable fuels as we do medical research: Invest in these promising fields now so they become practical and affordable for consumers down the road,” he said. “Americans want to be part of the solution and conserve. Government must help by providing tax incentives to families and businesses for a wide range of energy-saving improvements to homes, businesses and lifestyles.”

Speaking by telephone from Washington, D.C., Kristen Bossi, Murphy’s communications director, said: “While David Cappiello is simply taking George

Bush’s talking points on drilling, Chris has been talking to the families of the 5th District about how we can work together to come up with a real national energy solution.”

Bossi said Murphy is supporting legislation that aims to restore the fundamentals of supply and demand to the oil markets, ending rampant speculation in the energy commodities markets “which place a distorted premium on the price of oil.”

Since 2000, investment in oil futures has increased more than 2,600 percent, to $250 billion from $9 billion. In testimony before House and Senate committees, Energy Information Administration officials and private-sector experts agreed that speculation has driven up the cost of a barrel of oil. Last week, Murphy voted to give the Commodity Futures Trading Commission emergency powers to curb speculation. The House is expected to continue debate on this issue in July.

According to Bossi, Murphy is also supporting legislation to call on the oil and gas industry to drill on the 68 million acres of public lands under oil-company control but unexplored.

Last week, Murphy voted for HR 6251, the Responsible Federal Oil and Gas Lease Act — more commonly known as the “Use It or Lose It” bill — which would deny oil and gas companies new federal leases until they demonstrate they are active in developing oil exploration on the 68 million acres they’ve already leased.

The Wall Street Journal, however, points out that oil companies acquire leases with the expectation that some of them contain sufficient oil and gas to cover the total costs. “Yet, it takes years to move through federal permitting, exploration and development. The U.S. Minerals Management Service notes that only one of three wells results in a discovery of oil that can be recovered economically. In deeper water, it’s one of five. All this involves huge risks, capital investment — and time.”