Senator Mitch McConnell traveled to Murray on Friday. Senator McConnell spoke to the Murray-Calloway County Economic Development Corporation, and participated in the groundbreaking for a new industrial park. The Murray Ledger & Times wrote two articles about his visit.

McConnell visits Murray for EDC events

 

While some herald the high costs as a way to get people out of their vehicles and utilizing public transportation, McConnell said the fact is that for most Americans “the automobile is indispensable.”

 

The law of supply and demand is one reason, McConnell said that gas prices have sky rocketed. With countries like India and China making modern day progress, the demand for fuel has increased.

 

In 2007, 87 million barrels of oil were used daily across the world; 21 billion were used in the United States with 12 being imported and nine produced.

 

McConnell's proposed solution is to find more and use less.

 

“We need to do absolutely everything,” he said. “There is a realistic way to cut oil imports in half.”

 

Finding one-third more U.S. oil is on McConnell's agenda.

 

“We are the only country in the world that locks up so much potential supply,” he told the gathering at Murray Country Club. McConnell added that there is enough oil shale in three western states to triple the oil reserves in Saudi Arabia.

 

The second component of McConnell's proposal was to use one-third less imports. “We are not too far away from the time all of us will be plugging in our cars and trucks at night,” he said. “Battery driven cars are not that far away.”

 

One of the reasons why McConnell believes battery powered cars are in the near future is because “the delivery system of plug-in cars is already there.”

 

 

Senator talks politics, overseas issues

 

U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell covered topics overseas and a little closer to home when he visited the Murray Ledger & Times Friday.

 

McConnell, R-Ky., was in town to address the annual awards luncheon for the Murray-Calloway County Economic Development Corporation (see related story) and participate in a groundbreaking ceremony on the site of the new industrial park west of Murray-Calloway's current industrial park on U.S. 641 North.

…[He] stressed the role his length of service has played in delivering money and projects to Kentucky; two of which he has brought to Calloway County this year in the form of $2 million for the new industrial park land and $1.2 million for Murray-Calloway Transit Authority.

 

“The fundamental argument is in what way would Kentucky be better off trading in the second person in the state who's been in a position to be party leader (other was former Senator and Vice-President Alben Barkley) for a freshman senator?” McConnell asked.