Roger F. Wicker has represented Mississippi in the United States Senate since December 2007. During his time in the Senate, Wicker has championed pro-growth policies to create jobs, limit federal overreach, protect life, and maintain a strong national defense.
Wicker is the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation for the 117th Congress. He served as chairman of the full committee during the 116th Congress after previously serving as the chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet.
Wicker is the second-highest ranking Republican member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. His other committee assignments include the Environment and Public Works Committee; and the Rules and Administration Committee.
As Americans continue feeling squeezed at the gas pump, it is more important than ever that Congress take action to implement meaningful energy policies to put us on the road toward energy independence and more affordable gasoline.
America must do a better job of immediately increasing our domestic production of energy at home and invest in alternative and renewable energy sources to free us from dependence on foreign oil. I support exploring for oil and gas in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and in the Outer Continental Shelf’s deep waters off our coast. Those areas hold 24 billion barrels of recoverable oil. It is important that states be given the ability to control the use of their coastal resources.
I also believe we can diversify our future energy supply through the use of alternative and renewable energy. The United States is the Middle East of coal, and any long-term energy policy must recognize this resource. A good example of the potential coal holds is the conversion of coal to low-cost and environmentally friendly liquid fuel. This technology is being employed now in Mississippi, and with our vast coal reserves, our state can become a key player in the future of coal-to-liquid fuel.