Romney's no-holds-barred criticism of current US energy policy came in the form an op-ed piece published Monday in the Columbus Dispatch, the third largest daily newspaper in the state of Ohio.
Voters in the state -- which is seen as being a pivotal battleground in the actual presidential election this fall -- go to the polls to express their preference among the Republican field tomorrow. In addition to Romney, the hopefuls are Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul.
In an essay headlined, "U.S. can be energy superpower," Romney says President Barack Obama's vision has failed when it comes to guiding the nation's energy policy.
"His promise of 5 million green jobs vanished as fast as the $500 million he gave to his campaign donors at now-bankrupt Solyndra," Romney wrote. "His goal of 1 million electric cars went up in flames alongside the Chevy Volt batteries that prompted a recall of all 8,000 sold so far."
[This, just a weekend removed from General Motors' announcement that it has decided to idea production of the Volt for five weeks in an effort to adjust production to demand. During that time, about 1,300 workers are expected to be temporarily laid off.]
"The costs of this anti-growth agenda are plain. Our economy just had its worst non-recession year since World War II, and families are feeling the pain directly as gasoline prices surge to record highs," Romney continued. "America is an energy-rich nation, and it is time we stopped living like an energy-poor one."
By contrast, Romney said if elected, he will "unleash American innovation" and make full use of the nation's natural resources.
Specifically, the candidate touted the potential of Marcellus Shale -- a resource that's plentiful in Ohio -- and natural gas, a "revolution" he said is "creating direct jobs in construction and drilling, and producing a resurgence in American manufacturing".
"In the next couple of years, billions of dollars will be invested in the state in pursuit of these opportunities," he said.
Romney also pounded the Obama administration for rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline and for curtailing drilling in the Gulf of Mexico after the BP/Macondo blowout disaster.
He vowed to reverse the trend by pursuing a dramatic regulatory reform to accelerate the exploration and development of oil and gas, streamline permitting processes, and increase production.
Secondly, he said. "In my administration, coal will not be a four-letter word. Instead, we will applaud the industry’s success in consistently expanding electricity output while reducing pollution. And I will respect states’ proven ability to regulate fracking, rather than sending federal bureaucrats to take control."
Despite all this, Romney did say that he will invest in new energy technologies, although he didn't offer any details and devoted just one paragraph to this area, most of it blasting what he described as "President Obama’s irresponsible and unethical funding of companies such as Solyndra."
"We can position America to lead on energy in the future without picking winners or stifling the energy sources of today," he wrote.
For additional information:
