Romney unveiled his energy plan at a trucking company in New Mexico, seeking to draw a sharp contrast between his energy policies and those of President Barack Obama and explain how his approach would lead to job growth.
The economy can add 3 million jobs by tapping oil and gas reserves in the United States, Romney repeatedly said. “This is not some pie-in-the-sky kind of thing,” he said. “This is a real, achievable objective.”
Romney would open up areas off the East Coast to oil exploration, and in particular would reverse Obama‘s decision to suspend development off the coast of Virginia following the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
The White House faulted Romney’s plan for relying too heavily on fossil fuels. “I think what distinguishes the president‘s approach ... from the Republican approach, is that the Republican approach is essentially one that is written by or dictated by big oil,” White House representative Jay Carney said.
The emphasis on economic benefits was an effort to steer the campaign back to the issue Romney believes is crucial to his victory in the November 6 election. The economic debate has been sidelined in recent days by controversial remarks about rape by a Senate Republican candidate in Missouri, Todd Akin, whom Romney has denounced.
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reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com