Boswell and Latham Discuss Cap and Trade, Energy Policy

Congressmen Leonard Boswell (D-IA) and Tom Latham (R-IA) were both featured speakers at the Iowa Energy Forum luncheon held at HyVee Hall in Des Moines, IA today.  They are also opponents in the upcoming Iowa 3rd Congressional District election so it was a good opportunity to hear from both men regarding their energy policy.

Congressman Boswell went first and after discussing his status as a veteran and veterans in general before actually talking about the topic he was invited to speak on he also managed to weave it into his speech and in a couple of his answers during the Q&A time.  I tweeted:

@leonardboswell at #IAEnergyForum: Hey I am a vet, I was in the military, by the way did I mention I was a vet? #ia03

— Shane Vander Hart (@shanevanderhart) August 8, 2012

On the topic of energy policy he said.  He said that energy has a lot to do with national security, and that energy production is vital.  He said he supports an all of the above approach to energy production, but that he “doesn’t advocate reckless drilling wherever we think there is a drop.”

Like ANWR for instance back in 2001, but sided with the Republicans back in February on H.R. 3408, the PIONEERS Act.  He says he is in favor of the Keystone XL Pipeline project.  He supports the wind tax credit, and called for a focus on renewable energy like biofuels.

He avoided discussing Cap and Trade during his speech wasn’t asked about it during the Q&A session until Kevin Hall of The Iowa Republican asked him about it during a press availability time after his speech.  You can watch below:

Hall asked Congressman Boswell, “Do you still support Cap and Trade?”  Congressman Boswell said “yes.”  Then after his aide asked Kevin if he was media he said, “I supported talking about it.”  But then said he didn’t support it in its original form, and that they didn’t have a final bill.

So why did he vote for it then, and if the bill wasn’t “final” why did it go to the Senate?

Congressman Latham wasn’t afraid to discuss Cap and Trade after calling for a comprehensive energy policy that includes oil, gas, nuclear and renewables.  He called it a “ill-conceived idea that would do great damage to us in Iowa.”  He discussed how it would raise fuel costs which in turn would have a negative impact on families in Iowa, in particular, impacting families disposable income.

Since the Senate didn’t pass Cap and Trade he said the EPA is accomplishing it by regulations, and that they have 17 regulations ready to go after the election.  He noted that we need a comprehensive energy policy that moves the ball forward, as “we can no longer bow to the sheiks.”

Latham said regarding drilling that there has been a 17% reduction of drilling on federal land, and pointed out that those who don’t understand that Americans are going to be dependent on fossil fuels for decades “don’t understand the economy.”

Congressman Latham after his speech discusses Mitt Romney’s position to allow the wind tax credit to expire:

Congressman Latham also discussed Congressman Boswell’s vote on cap and trade.