After 28 days, 5 county fairs, 3 concerts, 9 visits to the Flying J, 32 corndogs and 19 late night fast food stops, the American Energy Freedom Tour is finished.  We’re all glad to be home, where we can do some laundry, sleep in our own beds and maybe eat a vegetable, but our return is bittersweet. 

We had an amazing trip that allowed us to meet and visit with so many passionate Americans who motivated us to continue our fight.  Whether it was the simple thank you and God bless you for what you’re doing we heard from a teacher in Lawrence County, PA, the fired up coal miners in Holden, WV who want to keep their jobs, the passionate geologists in Columbus, OH who taught us about their work, or the kind caterers in Elkhart, IN who brought us lunch, every person we met on this trip inspired us to keep going. 

For anyone we saw at an event, who followed us on this blog, who donated money to keep the bus rolling, or who joined our fight, thank you so much.  We appreciate you.

All over this country, all summer long, Americans spent the last few months making their voices heard and participating in the political process, which is something we’re proud to have witnessed firsthand. It truly is something that should make us proud to live in America. We have the freedom to say, out loud, without any fear, just what we think. 

And over and over we heard people tell us just what they think about cap-and-trade.  Americans understand that cap-and-trade is nothing but a massive tax on our way of life.  It will increase the price of nearly every good and service in our economy and it will kill jobs.  It is a no-brainer, and nearly everyone we spoke to about cap-and-tax is wholeheartedly against it. 

Unfortunately, some in Congress remain committed to passing this harmful legislation.  We know that there is no limit to the amount of arm-twisting and horse trading cap-and-tax proponents in the Senate will engage in to get their way. 

That’s why it is now more important than ever that we make our voices heard!  The tour is over, but the fight continues.  Please continue to use www.energytownhall.org as a way to make your voice heard. 

Again, thank you for your support!

We spent today at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, VA, where the Virginia Quarter Horse Association Breeder’s Futurity horse show kicked off. In between our conversations with Virginians and folks from all over the country about the serious economic ramifications cap-and-tax would have on our economy, we even managed to squeeze in a peak at the Western riders.

Now, after a great three days in Virginia and an unbelievable 25 days on the road, we’re on our way back to D.C. In honor of the thousands of people we’ve talked to, we decided to compile another top ten list. This time, we’re compiling ten of the concerns we heard most often from the thousands of Americans we’ve spoken with over the last 25 days in PA, OH, IN, WV and VA. Read the rest of this entry »

Dear Mr. President,

Tonight, you address the American people from Washington, D.C. Your direct audience, some of the most powerful men and women in this nation–the 535 members of Congress–will listen to you with rapt attention. Your words dominate coverage on the three major news networks, the many cable news outlets, on the radio, and in countless newspaper, magazine, and blog articles throughout the weekend.

The American Energy Alliance and our American Energy Express (AEX) team obviously don’t have access to that kind of platform, and rightfully so–you’re the President. But we do have access to something you seem to have overlooked in your efforts to advance the cap-and-trade energy tax legislation through the Congress — the American people. We have spent the last 23 days traveling through five states, hearing directly from Americans about their lives, the tough realities they face everyday, and how higher energy prices would impact their family budgets, their small businesses and their way of life.

Unfortunately, as a result of your busy schedules in Washington, D.C., sometimes you and those 535 members of Congress miss out on those stories. That’s why we’re writing to you today. We hope you’ll take some of what we’ve learned into consideration.   Read the rest of this entry »