In case you missed the big local news, Midwest Airlines announced it is going to slash 40% of its work force. The office of my Congressman, Paul Ryan, passed along the following press release:
WASHINGTON – Wisconsin’s First District Congressman Paul Ryan expressed grave concerns at the insistence by Congressional leadership to continue to put off-limits vast supplies of domestic energy. Earlier today, President Bush announced that he will lift the executive prohibition on energy exploration along the Outer Continental Shelf, but Congress has refused to follow suit. Coupled with today’s sobering news that Oak Creek-based Midwest Airlines will be laying off over 1,200 of its hard-working employees, Congressman Ryan has had enough. Ryan issued the following statement in light of today’s troubling developments:
“Unless Congress takes action to lift its own moratorium, President Bush’s decision to lift an executive ban on offshore drilling is meaningless. For nearly three decades, Congress has made it illegal to drill for oil and natural gas along the Outer Continental Shelf. Those I serve in Wisconsin can no longer afford to put up with our misguided energy policies. In addition to the pain at the pump felt by families across Wisconsin, high fuel costs have led directly to announced layoffs for workers at GM in Janesville and Midwest Airlines in Oak Creek. Enough is enough: we need a comprehensive energy policy – and we need one today. Congress can start by ending its stubborn resistance toward boosting domestic energy supply, and lift its moratorium on offshore drilling.
“Today’s announcement from Midwest Airlines is devastating, and comes at a time when folks are already struggling in our current economic downturn. As we prepare for the difficult months ahead, I will do all that I can to provide assistance to the employees of Midwest Airlines hit hardest by today’s painful decision."
For more on Congressman Paul Ryan’s call for a comprehensive energy plan, please visit: http://www.house.gov/ryan/energy/
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Bonus coverage – Ryan’s energy plan –
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vsht3-Hiu-w[/youtube]
In sum, and in order; drill, refine, streamline the boutique fuels (including the very-special blend of the Algore/Whitman Memorial RFG we in the Milwaukee area have to suffer with), no food-for-fuel, invest in R&D for a replacement, invest in R&D for conservation.
