Last year, North Carolina was named the 6th most popular spot for tourism in the United States.
That's important to the nearly 200,000 working folks across our 100 counties employed by the North Carolina tourism industry, but it's just as important to the millions of Americans who spend billions here to enjoy the best of everything, from mountains, to cities to our one of a kind outerbanks and pristine coastline.
George Bush and Robin Hayes want to change all that to line their own pockets on the way out of office with the Big Lie that energy independence requires giving the oil industry more corporate welfare and even more access to our fragile resources, like North Carolina's outer banks.
Not my outerbanks!
Cross posted from BlueNC!
As the Associated Press has reported on the Bush-Cheney "solution" to 8 years of Bush-Cheney energy policy failure, it's simply more of yesterday's Bush-Cheney energy thinking.
Democratic congressional leaders remain strongly opposed to lifting the drilling moratorium, arguing that oil companies already hold leases to 40 million acres of federal waters that they have not moved to develop.
"One way you deal with this problem of supply ... is to force oil companies and gas companies that own permits to drill them," said Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel, a senior member of the Democratic leadership.
...Energy experts and oil geologists acknowledge it would take five to 10 years for any oil or natural gas to be produced if the ban were ended today.
Big Oil has 40 million acres of federal waters to explore. They aren't getting North Carolina's fragile outerbanks. But is it any wonder that Robin Hayes wants to give it to them with up to $23 million invested in Big Oil and $175,000 in campaign contributions from the industry?
Robin Hayes wants to expand the oil industry's monopoly and stranglehold on our economy. That's yesterday's thinking. It's time to end the corporate welfare for Big Oil and finally invest in some real research to solve this problem, not pass it on to our children. We can do this, but it's going to take nothing short of a Manhattan Project level of commitment to a comprehensive energy policy that lowers prices at the pump by injecting competition in the market and creating green collar jobs right here at home.
North Carolina is now the front line in the war on yesterday's thinking when it comes to energy policy, and the 8th District is one battle we can win. Simply put, Robin Hayes can not be allowed to continue two more years in Congress representing the interests of Bush-Cheney and Big Oil over us.
We're an extermely poor District, which is the only reason Robin Hayes has gotten away with his bad votes in a predominantly Democratic district for so long. I'm counting on everyone to help chip in and not let Big Oil buy this seat yet again.
As we proved together in 2006, holding Hayes to a 330 vote margin of victory, it won't take all the money in the world to make our case and win, but it will take just enough. Today is the end of the quarter. Please help put Robin Hayes and Big Oil on notice.
Not my outerbanks!