Stratford, CT - Christopher Shays, Republican candidate for United States Senate, today said our leaders in Washington, and the President in particular, have failed to address the need for a national policy to promote American energy independence, and we are now paying the price at the gas pump.
“It’s simply unacceptable that gas prices are skyrocketing,” said Christopher Shays, “especially in the middle of winter when prices typically fall.”
Shays went on to say, “This is hurting Connecticut families. High gas prices are squeezing already tight budgets. Parents, seniors and business owners are struggling to make do with less. In order to get our economy growing again, we must reduce energy costs.”
Shays said our leaders need to work together to develop a long-term approach. He called for a national energy policy that works towards American energy independence.
“In spite of the fact that we have some of the largest energy deposits in the entire world, we spend an astonishing one billion dollars every single day buying fossil fuel from overseas,” said Shays. “We need increased energy production here at home. Let’s create energy independence and more American jobs by developing our own vast resources of natural gas and oil.”
About Christopher Shays:
Christopher Shays is a Republican candidate for United States Senate. He is a fiscal conservative known for straight talk and getting results. While a Congressman serving southern Connecticut, Shays was a senior member of the House Oversight and Government Reform, Budget, Financial Services, and Homeland Security Committees. He chaired the House Oversight Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats, and International Relations, which played a major role in reforms following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The only Republican congressman from New England elected in 2006, Shays was consistently recognized for his knowledge, hard work, and ability to work with both sides of the political aisle to help resolve major issues confronting our nation. He was appointed co-chair of the federal Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2009 and served for two and a half years. Christopher began his career in public service as a member of the Peace Corps in Fiji from 1968 to 1970 with his wife, Betsi. He was elected to the Connecticut State House of Representatives in 1974, serving for thirteen years before his election to Congress in 1987. Betsi and Christopher—a resident of Connecticut for sixty-four years—grew up in Darien, lived in Stamford for over thirty years, and now live in Bridgeport.