Former U.S. Rep Anne Northup (R-Louisville) continues to push her position on energy policy from a variety of platforms. After laying out her continued support for a policy centering on increased domestic drilling during a Tuesday press conference, Northup brought her message to constituents on Thursday in the form of a "tele-town hall" meeting and the launch of a new website.

Yesterday evening, Northup hosted a telephone-based "town hall" meeting on energy policy for residents of the 3rd Congressional District. Northup briefly outlined her position on drilling and accepted questions from those on the call.

Many of the questions gave Northup the chance to reiterate points she had earlier made about drilling, including her assertion that opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to exploration would immediately lower gas prices, despite predictions that production times would be at least seven to ten years.

"We need to tap our own oil reserves. Almost every economist says if the United States just changes the law and says ‘we are going to tap our enormous reserves'...that almost immediately, even before those new oil supplies start to be harvested, that the price of gas will fall because the confidence internationally that there will be enough gas and oil to provide for our needs that that will cause the price of oil to come down," said Northup during the call.

Northup's campaign said approximately 84,000 "Republicans, Democrats, and independents" in the district were invited to the 45-minute call. By way of reference, PolitickerKY.com was allocated a number above 11,000 upon entry to the call.

During the duration of the session, Northup fielded about ten questions, most of which revolved around energy policy.

In answering some of the questions, Northup addressed energy issues less frequently mentioned. For example, she addressed the role she felt individual states should have in allowing drilling off their coasts in reserves within their borders.

"Personally, I have some question as to whether states should have a vote on it," said Northup. "If this is a matter of national emergency, we would not let a state hold up a whole country."

Northup also doubted the use of biofuel - or agricultural products grown specifically for energy purposes - in one of her responses.

"I am not sure that we should invest to expand our use of biofuels," said Northup. " I just can't see people starving in Africa and Americans desperately concerned about the price of food and then expanding burning it up and grinding it up and putting it in our cars. Food needs to stay food."

In some of her responses, Northup again stressed her support of the expanded use of nuclear energy in the United States.

Northup is facing incumbent U.S. Rep John Yarmuth (D-Louisville) in a rematch of the 2006 general election that saw her lose the 3rd District seat after five terms in Congress.

Yesterday, her campaign also launched a new website at www.lowergaslouisville.com which contains a petition to the "United States Congress and Representative Yarmuth" asking that drilling be expanded in ANWR, the outer continental shelf, and the Gulf of Mexico.

The site also links to an op-ed penned by Northup concerning drilling.

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