Three potential Republican contenders for the White House spoke at the "Road to 2016: Informing the Energy Debate" today at the World Food Prize building in Des Moines. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania all say that regulation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency hinders U.S. economic growth.
"You need a strong economy so you have the, in a sense, the opportunity and some would even say the luxury of having a clean environment. Survival is first," Santorum said. "A strong economy is a strong environment. And that’s what strong and affordable energy will provide America."
Jindal also said promoting environmental and economic health in the U.S. are not mutually exclusive priorities.
"A stronger economy is better than a cleaner environment," Jindal said. "Our environmental controls are stronger in America than they are overseas. So sending these manufacturing jobs overseas is no way to help the environment, it is no way to create prosperity, and it is no way to create opportunities."
Like Jindal, Perry said the availability of U.S. energy resources affects global security.
"We see how energy can be used in a malignant way through the actions by Russia. Energy is a weapon in the hands of an aggressor," Perry said. "So I say if energy is going to be used as a weapon, America needs to have the largest arsenal."
The event was organized by Inside Sources, a policy and news site whose publisher Shawn McCoy was the Iowa Communications Director for the 2012 Romney Campaign. The forum was sponsored by America’s Power, which is funded by the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity.
