Opelika Chamber members hold Q & A session with Sessions

U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions spoke to members of the Opelika Chamber of Commerce Monday morning about issues ranging from the country’s energy crisis to the trade deficit.

A rise in energy costs plays a larger part in the country’s economic woes than is recognized, said Sessions, R-Alabama, who was the guest speaker at the Chamber’s quarterly “Business Over Breakfast,” at the Marriott at Grand National.

American families on average are now spending $105 more each month to purchase gasoline, Sessions said. As a result, they are not spending that money on businesses’ services and products.

Sessions said one solution to the fuel crisis would be to increase oil production in the U.S. and to invest in alternative energy sources such as wind energy and nuclear power.

“We need to keep energy as cheap as possible,” Sessions said, noting that he supports nuclear power because “it’s clean and it’s cheaper.”

During a question and answer session, Sessions, a member of the armed services, judiciary, energy and natural resources and budget senate committees, fielded questions about the U.S. economic downtown, the presidential election, the trade deficit, the inheritance tax, as well as the Air Force tanker contract issue.

“We ordered it bid,” Sessions said regarding the tanker issue. “It should be bid. It should go to the best bidder. I’m really unhappy about that.”

Sessions has been in office for 11 years and is currently seeking re-election for his third term. His opponents are Democratic candidate Vivian Figures of Mobile and write-in candidate Darryl Perry of Birmingham.

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