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Congressman Neugebauer speaks in Sweetwater |
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Written by Tatiana Rodriguez
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Wednesday, 08 October 2008 |
Several Nolan County residents gathered yesterday at Sweetwater City Hall to hear U.S. Representative Randy Neugebauer speak and answer questions. Neugebauer represents the 19th Congressional District of Texas.
Sweetwater Enterprise for Economic Development (SEED) executive director Ken Becker welcomed the congressman and gave him an update of developments in Sweetwater and Nolan County.
“Even though the economy in the United States seems to have dropped some, Nolan County has held its own very well,” said Becker, boasting of the Sweetwater's banks and our manufacturing business including two gypsum plants and one cement plant. He also mentioned Ludlum Measurement's role in employing over 300 residents in Sweetwater.
“You might have also seen that we have one or two wind towers,” said Becker, stating that Sweetwater has 1,253 up and operating.
“Just in our four counties of Taylor County, Nolan County, Mitchell County and Scurry County we have just under 2000 towers, which is about 50% of all wind energy in the state of Texas,” said Becker.
The U.S. representative began by telling that he voted against the bipartisan economic rescue package that was recently signed into law by President Bush.
“These markets are not functioning normally and we all recognize that. I do not believe that the people who made conservative lending and investment decisions should have to pay for the mistakes made on Wall Street, nor do I believe that ultimately our children and grandchildren should have to pay for these mistakes either,” said Neugebauer.
He stated that he voted against the bill because he does not believe the legislation is the best way to solve the problems faced by our economy.
“I believe there are other alternatives which should have been considered. The bill that was passed grants extensive authority to the Treasury Department over a large amount of money. It also sets a precedent that those who made poor decisions can rely on the taxpayers to step in and cover their mistakes when needed,” said Neugebauer.
Neugebauer said that he is still confident that the economy can regain it strength. He hopes to see fundamental changes and go back to the basics of lending and borrowing in which decisions are made based on the ability of the borrower to repay.
“These are unprecedented times and I pledge to continue fighting for the taxpayer. I will work tirelessly with my colleagues in Congress and the current and next Administration to get serious about the fundamental challenges facing our country,” said the U.S. representative.
Neugebauer also spoke of wind energy.
"What we are told now is that in the 19th Congressional District, there is more wind energy than in the entire state of California, and we are proud of what has been accomplished," he said.
Neugebauer believes energy security is important to all Americans and our economy and that the U.S. must address production, conservation, efficiency and reliability across a wide range of energy sources.
“One of the things that keeps me awake at night is the fact that we get up everyday and over 70 percent of our energy has to come from somebody else," he said.
"As Boone Pickens says, we can't drill our way out of this, we can't wind our way out of this, we can't coal our way out of this, we can't nuclear our way out of this, but we can prosper if we use all of the resources that are available to us," he said.
The U.S. representative believes that America must lead the way in developing and utilizing new sources of clean, safe and reliable energy while producing existing sources more efficiently.
"That is why I support H.R. 3089, the No More Excuses Energy Act, which encourage more oil and gas refining right here at home, expand nuclear energy production and open up Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge."
H.R. 3089 would also extend the wind energy production tax credit that is crucial to development of renewable energy in the 19th District.
"I believe it is important to continue pursuing the development of this important and abundant renewable resource. Because wind in West Texas provides tremendous opportunities to power an individual’s home, I also support H.R. 1772, which promoted a wind energy tax credit for homeowners to make use of smaller wind turbines," said Neugebauer.
Neugebauer is now in his third term in U.S. House of Representatives after first taking office on June 5, 2003. The 19th Congressional District of Texas stretches across 27 counties and includes the cities of Abilene, Big Spring and Lubbock. He serves on the House Committees on Agriculture, Financial Services and Science and Technology.
Neugebauer's legislative initiatives include eliminating wasteful federal spending, improving crop insurance and developing renewable energy sources. He brings years of experience in the business world to his work in the U.S. House of Representatives. Prior to his service in Congress, Neugebauer ran his own small business, which focused on residential home building and commercial real estate development. He graduated from Lubbock's Coronado High School and later attended Texas Tech University, graduating in 1972, with a BBA in accounting.
Neugebauer is married to his high school sweetheart, Dana and together they have two sons, a daughter-in-law and two grandsons. |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 09 October 2008 )
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