Editor's Note: We could know by the end of the week if Mike Pence will run for Indiana Governor. The Sixth District Republican told reporters Monday that he and his family have made their decision. The announcement could have taken place Monday, but was postponed because of news of the death of Osama bin Laden. If he declares for the governor’s race, Pence is thought to be a heavy favorite among any other GOP candidate. Former Indiana House Speaker John Gregg is said to be the top Democrat considering a gubernatorial run.

In an effort to begin educating my blog readers about the expected Indiana candidates for Governor in 2012, please find below an article submitted by Pence that ran recently in the Indianapolis Star.

You might also be interested in a search on Mike Pence from a relatively new website called, DirtyEnergyMoney. Here is what has been written recently By Tor 'Solar Fred' Valenza  on his blog at RenewableEnergyWorld.

The ending oil subsidy debate has begun in Congress. The debate is framed not around the environment or the fact that oil companies have received these subsidies for 100 years, but around the budget deficit and the mertis of giving $4 billion a year in tax breaks to oil companies. 

Politicians who support continuing oil subsidies claim that removing them will cost oil company jobs and not help to lower gas and heating oil prices. They hint that continuing subsidies and driil-baby-drill will lower gas prices today, but that's a fantasy. Of course, the oil subsidy supporters don’t mention how eliminating those subsidies could lead to solar jobs and make America energy independent while protecting, you know...breathing. But let’s let that go for now.

Want to see the search results for Mike Pence? Check it out for yourself at: http://www.dirtyenergymoney.com/view.php?searchvalue=mike+pence&search=1&type=search

Laura Ann Arnold

 Best energy strategy is independence

Written by Mike Pence, 6:55 PM, Apr. 29, 2011 

Original article: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011105020317

The average price of a gallon of gas in Indiana has gone over $4 per gallon. The "pain at the pump" has the potential to get even worse for Hoosiers with the summer travel season just around the corner.

It is long past time to implement an energy strategy that will reduce our dependence on foreign sources of oil. Especially with the ongoing unrest in the Middle East and North Africa, we cannot continue to rely on foreign countries for our energy needs.

Producing more energy here at home will help to provide the United States with the independence it needs while creating jobs, providing a cleaner environment and strengthening national security.

As past chairman of the American Energy Solutions Group in Congress, I have consistently supported efforts to implement an "all-of-the-above" energy plan that includes more domestic exploration for oil and natural gas, continuing development of clean coal technology, investments in renewable and alternative energy technologies and incentives to spur greater conservation.

Unfortunately, President Barack Obama does not seem to share this view. Under his administration, there is a de-facto moratorium on oil exploration in the Gulf of Mexico. There are drilling bans off both coasts, on Alaska's continental shelf and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Yet, on his trip to South America last month, Obama told Brazilian leaders that the United States would stand at the ready to assist that country in helping to develop its oil reserves, adding that when Brazil is "ready to start selling, we want to be one of your best customers."

Committing to even more foreign energy resources is not sound energy policy. America's oil, natural gas and coal resources are equivalent to 1.3 trillion barrels of oil, the largest proven reserves in the world. American energy is the solution to America's energy crisis.

One way we can do so is by ending the de-facto drilling moratorium in the Gulf of Mexico. This would start to provide economic certainty by allowing employers and workers to get back on the job and open up more domestic supply.

In addition, for the first time since 1958 there will be no offshore lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico. To address this, I am advocating legislation that would require the administration to move forward promptly to conduct offshore lease sales in the gulf and off the shore of Virginia that have been delayed or cancelled.

Finally, I am advocating that the administration move forward with the 2012-17 lease plan with energy production in areas containing the most oil and natural gas resources.

These measures, taken together with a broader push to utilize an "all-of-the-above" strategy for energy production here at home, will increase our long-term prospects for growth. Hoosiers shouldn't have to pay $4 for a gallon of gas. I will continue to push for domestic energy solutions that will create jobs, reduce costs, eliminate our dependence on foreign oil, and grow our economy.