Barbour blasts Obama’s policies

BILOXI — Gov. Haley Barbour is still concerned that the Obama Administration’s cap-and-trade policies would “burn America’s families and businesses.”

Speaking at the 2009 Southern Growth Policies Board annual meeting in Biloxi June 8, Barbour cautioned against having the United States move from having no coherent energy policy to a policy that would increase taxes on oil and gas by $81 billion.

The Obama Administration’s proposed energy policy would have the inevitable result of substantially increasing the cost of energy to American families and American businesses, especially manufacturing,” Barbour said.

Barbour said the Obama policies would severely punish Southern states, which have tremendous resources in coal, natural gas and oil, and ignores the vast potential of nuclear power.

Barbour serves as the current chair of the Southern Growth Policies Board, which is focusing its conference on energy-related economic development.