Newt Gingrich in Speech at 2011 CPAC conference

On Energy & Oil: FactCheck: US has 110-year supply of gas, not 1,100 years

Shale gas is a form of natural gas. It's true that new drilling and fracturing techniques have made it possible to tap into shale resources that were previously considered not to be economically viable. As of 2009, shale gas made up 14% of the US natural gas supply. But the U.S. isn't currently sitting on a 1,100 year supply of shale gas--or natural gas in general, if that was Gingrich's meaning. The country's supply is actually about 10 times smaller than that: The US possesses 2,552 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of potential natural gas resources, enough to supply approximately 110 years of use. Natural gas from shale resources accounts for 827 Tcf of this resource estimate.

On Energy & Oil: 2008 petition drive: Drill here, Drill now, Pay less

In 2008 when gasoline was at $4 a gallon, [my policy organization] American Solutions launched a petition drive: Drill here, Drill now, Pay less.

The Left couldn't survive in a world where we had the courage to say, "Why don't we find American oil and why don't we find American gas, and why don't we have the next building boom in the United States, not in Dubai. And why don't we make sure that the terrorists run out of money?" And that ought to be our approach to this, so let's do it now.

First of all: Reopen off of Louisiana. The people of Louisiana want it to happen. So let's reopen the areas off only those states that want to reopen them, but if a state wants to go and find oil and gas and wants to create more jobs in that state, let's let them do it now.

On Energy & Oil: New nuclear plants would reduce 2 billion tons of CO2 a year

There are two things about nuclear power. One, we should dramatically go through and streamline the regulatory process for the big plants, but two, there's a whole new generation of very small nuclear power plants, that are very, very safe, that should not come under the certain kind of regulatory design for a huge, giant multi-million dollar plant. And we could go to a much more effective nuclear power, very fast and have a very big job creation technology.

On Environment: Replace EPA with new Environmental Solutions Agency

Now a new Environmental Solutions Agency, I believe, would do a better job of both protecting the environment and the economy. The principles are straightforward, localism when possible. I believe that incentives, innovators, and entrepreneurs will solve environmental problems, and improve the environment better than the bureaucrats, regulators and litigators.

The new Environmental Solutions Agency should see communities, states, and industries as partners, not adversaries in solving problems when one approaches. The Environmental Solutions Agency should look for new science, new technologies, and new approaches to get more energy, more jobs, and a better environment simultaneously.

On Health Care: Repeal ObamaCare; sign tort reform instead

President Obama could be bipartisan. There are seven steps to the center for Obama.
1. Sign the repeal of ObamaCare. 58% of the American people, in the most recent poll, favor repeal of ObamaCare.
2. Sign Tort reform for doctors. He said the other night he would like to do it, let's let him do it.
3. Sign the permanent repeal of the death tax.
4. Sign a new Hyde Amendment, so no tax payer money funds abortion in the United States.
5. Sign a new Conservative Budget Act, to control spending and move to a balanced budget.
6. Sign a law to decisively control the border now.
7. Sign a tenth amendment implementation act returning power from Washington to the states and to the people thereof. And that act should include--to prove how real it is-- block-granting Medicaid so that states can control the cost and improve the quality without interference from Washington bureaucrats.

On Jobs: Number one job today is to create jobs

And I'll be candid. We did not need a deficit commission. We needed a jobs commission who talked with people who only create jobs. I am sick and tired of Congressional hearings, where people who have never created a job show up to explain what their theory is of doing something they have never done.

I am going to outline two large strategies that will move us towards job creation: an American Energy Plan and an Environmental Solutions Agency to replace the Environmental Protection Agency.