Murkowski wants balance from Energy chief

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WASHINGTON, March 5 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who rolled out a 121-page energy plan last month, said she was concerned about the lack of balance in U.S. energy policy.

Murkowski, R-Alaska and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, issued a report in February that has U.S. energy no longer relying on Middle Eastern oil by 2020 through more domestic oil and natural gas drilling at the top of the agenda.

Murkowski put out a statement that she was concerned about the direction of U.S. energy policy given President Barack Obama's nomination of Ernest Moniz to be energy secretary.

She said the White House needs to embrace "an energy supply that is not only clean but also abundant, affordable, diverse and secure."

Obama said Moniz, a physicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who served as undersecretary of energy during the Clinton administration, is the best choice for a balanced energy policy.

"(He) knows that we can produce more energy and grow our economy while still taking care of our air, our water and our climate," Obama said.