Sigmon pushes for immediate energy independence
Sigmon urges policy change:
‘Energy independence…now’
NEWTON—With violent unrest a daily factor in several oil-producing countries, 10th District congressional candidate Lance Sigmon today urged Congress to “get busy on a national policy of achieving energy independence…now.”
Sigmon, the retired Air Force officer and attorney who’s challenging Patrick McHenry for the Republican nomination in the May 6 primary, pointed out “major risks to our economy, even our national security, by not being able to meet our own future energy needs.”
A study released Jan. 2 sent U.S. stock markets tumbling by predicting that current worldwide oil production levels would not be sufficient to meet international demand over the next 20 years, especially with pressure from emerging economies in India and China.
Immediately, crude oil futures climbed to $100 per barrel, and the local price of gasoline at the pump settled above $3 per gallon again.
Moreover, the study concluded that civil unrest, war and widespread fears of future turmoil in countries like Iraq, Iran, Venezuela, and most recently, Kenya, will continue to cause questions about supplies while keeping prices of crude extremely high.
“I support measures that will make us independent of other nations regarding our energy needs,” Sigmon said. “It’s not just about oil, where to find it and how to bring it to market. It’s about our security as a nation.”
“The U.S. petroleum industry needs to invest more capital to find new oil fields, to expand refining capacity and, perhaps, to bring the huge production of Alaska’s North Slope to our own West Coast, rather than shipping it to the Far East.”
“I would support legislation, for instance, to open up the Alaska National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR) to replace oil currently provided by unstable and even hostile Islamic nations half a world away. Our oil suppliers should be closer to home and be in locations we can depend on.”
Sigmon also said he wants “our nation to take another serious look at nuclear power.”
Nuclear electric-generating plants “have been working very well for a long time to provide power from coast to coast, including two major nuclear facilities right here in North Carolina.”
“I want to keep a clean environment to pass along to our children and grandchildren, but we always seem to assume the worst about nuclear plants, petroleum refineries and the like,” the candidate added. “Congress needs to study workable solutions that can have major impacts.”
He said the Congress should speed along legislation “to promote renewable and alternative energy sources.”
Sigmon questioned whether “a cost-effective way to convert our vast reserves of coal into other, petroleum-like fuels might be possible—if we look for it.” He predicted, too, that the fuel efficiency of U.S.-manufactured vehicles must also continue to increase.
Sigmon served four years as an enlisted man in the Air Force after graduating from Newton-Conover High School in 1977, and then earned his bachelor’s degree with highest honors at Western Carolina University.
Married to his high school sweetheart upon entering Wake Forest University law school in 1985, Sigmon eventually went back to the Air Force to serve as an attorney and judge in the Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps.
He retired from the Air Force in 2005 and moved his family into the south Newton home where his wife Melissa had grown up. The Sigmons have two teen-age children, and the family attends Abernethy Memorial United Methodist Church in Newton.
During his military years, Sigmon served in a variety of volunteer roles with the Boy Scouts, including Cub den leader, Cubmaster, assistant scoutmaster and adult leader trainer. He said he’s “proud to have worked with hundreds of young men, helping to instill traditional American values.”
To find out more about him, interested persons can visit his website: sigmonforcongress.com. The Sigmon campaign also publishes a free biweekly newsletter, available online or by mail, and new readers can sign up on the website.
