The seventh Democratic debate got underway this week, and it was another echo chamber among the candidates on several important policy issues, including energy production. And even though increased energy production has cut costs for families — at the pump and in-home utility bills. With little exception, the Democratic candidates have adopted the same extreme platform in favor of banning offshore oil and natural gas production. While anti-energy and anti-offshore policies are bad news for America, they are especially troubling for many African American communities.
Energy bans do nothing to help our country, they only force hardworking American families to look to elsewhere — to countries like Russia and Iran — to meet their energy demands. Along with higher energy prices, energy bans will mean jobs and economic growth flow overseas with hard-earned dollars. An energy reality of foreign dependence, which is already seen in states like California and Massachusetts, is a bleak future that the Democratic candidates should fight against.