Obama’s policies could hinder U.S. energy production, U.S. Chamber lobbyist says

The chief lobbyist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce told BRAC shareholders today that policies of the Obama administration could hinder the country’s progress toward becoming the worldwide leader in production of oil and natural gas. Bruce Josten, executive vice president of government affairs with the U.S. Chamber, says the country is witnessing “one of the most important transformational changes of our lifetimes” on the energy front. “Amazingly, all of these advances … are taking place despite the president’s policies on energy, not because of them,” says Josten, who delivered the keynote address at BRAC’s annual shareholders meeting this morning. He specifically criticized President Barack Obama for blocking drilling on federal land. “We are positioned to be far more competitive in manufacturing if we get the right policy prescription in place,” he says. “And to do that, in my opinion, we have to look at our natural resources the way the Canadians do, as national assets to be used to the benefit of our economy and our people.” Josten says the energy boom “is the single biggest game changer, both domestically and internationally, with an emerging picture of an energy future with much higher domestic production and much reduced dependence on the Middle East oil, with broader use of natural gas throughout the economy.” Josten was tapped to give the keynote Tuesday afternoon after U.S. Chamber President and CEO Thomas Donohue had to cancel his scheduled appearance due to illness. —April Castro