Great point.

So, Rep. Braley supports the RFS. But where was he when the EPA was proposing new, job-killing and cost of energy-increasing regulations on power plants that would endanger thousands of Iowa jobs in manufacturing, natural resources and mining, and construction? He stood idly by while under the Obama Administration the EPA has overreached and continued to pass more-stringent, job-killing regulations. He even voted against a bill to reign in the EPA.

And where was Bruce Braley when the Obama Administration was impeding job creation and threatening to increase energy prices by delaying the Keystone XL Pipeline? In a surprising, partisan move, Rep. Braley voted against the Keystone XL Pipeline, despite initially voting for it during an Energy and Commerce Committee markup one month prior, ignoring bipartisan agreement and enormous economic benefits.

Congressman Braley conveniently uses the RFS to create a false distance between him and the Obama Administration. But, inconveniently, for Rep. Braley, the reality is that he has been an ardent supporter of the Administration's job killing policies, including EPA overreach and delaying Keystone XL.

Fortunately, Iowans will have the opportunity to elect someone in 2014 to the U.S. Senate who knows firsthand what is needed to promote job growth, tackle our nation's fiscal challenges, and get America moving again in the right direction.

"My main focus is creating jobs and opportunities for all Iowans. And a sensible energy policy is crucial for long-term economic growth. Increased energy production right here in America, that's developed in an environmentally-responsible way, can immediately add thousands of new energy jobs and keep energy prices low, benefitting consumers and businesses. Low energy prices, in turn, will fuel economic recovery in other areas of the economy, leading more opportunities for more and better jobs," said Mark Jacobs.

Jacobs added, "I support the RFS because it has already created thousands of jobs, attracted millions in investment from the private sector, provided consumers with choice and savings at the pump, and reduced our dependency on foreign oil. But we cannot stop there. As a part of our nation's larger energy policy, we need to be expanding domestic energy production right here in America, by opening federal lands and waters to exploration and continued development of renewable energy sources right here in Iowa."

"While Congressman Braley contributes to the dysfunction in Washington, Iowa's families are hurting. I know what it takes to create jobs and will fight to make sure the EPA is acting in the best interest of Americans, not it's self-interested agenda, whether it is going to battle for the RFS, working to sensibly expand energy production, or fighting back against cumbersome EPA regulations," he said.

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To learn more about Mark Jacobs, please visit: www.jacobsforiowa.com
Follow Mark on Twitter: www.twitter.com/MarkJocobsIowa

About Mark Jacobs

A life-long Republican, Mark previously served as president and CEO of Reliant Energy, a Fortune 500 electric power company. During his time at Reliant Energy, he played an integral role in the turnaround of the company. Mark founded Reaching Higher Iowa, an organization advocating for improved public education. He has been traveling the state to discuss the need for accountability in our public schools and the opportunity to make Iowa schools best in the nation once again. Mark graduated from Roosevelt High School in Des Moines in 1980. He holds a bachelor's degree from Southern Methodist University and an MBA from Northwestern University. Mark and his wife, Janet, have three children: Clark, Christy, and Sam. The family resides in West Des Moines.

Pierre, SD - Monday, December 2, 2013 ? South Dakota Secretary of State Jason Gant announces a solution to address a national problem that servicemen and women overseas experience in casting a ballot.  South Dakota's new system revolutionizes absentee voting by combining advanced technology and the Common Access Card (CAC) issued by the Department of Defense. The new system called Innovative Overseas Absentee-Balloting System (iOASIS) increases the percentage of ballots successfully returned by dramatically reducing the paperwork while increasing security.

"The iOASIS program is based on a concept of simplicity.  These voters will now be able to register to vote, request an absentee ballot, receive an absentee ballot and mark an absentee ballot in seconds. The ballot is then printed and returned for counting," said Secretary Gant. "This is only possible by utilizing the security of the Common Access Card for validation to verify our overseas voters and turn a 60-day process into a less than 5-minute transaction."

The iOASIS program has been successfully tested nearly 1,000 times with the assistance of the South Dakota National Guard.  It increases the percentage of successful ballots; reduces the failure rates (such as blank absentee ballot delivery, absentee ballot tabulation, absentee ballot return verification); and establishes and maintains techniques and best practices of election officials and their services for these voters.  The iOASIS program will be launched in 2014 elections.

"An integral part of iOASIS is the new state of the art election management system that has streamlined the voting process in South Dakota. This system guarantees the security, efficiency and accuracy when validating the absentee process for overseas voters in real time. The critical component is the addition of the Common Access Card which verifies and authenticates the identity of the voter," said Secretary Gant.

Secretary Gant said, "I am proud to play a part in correcting the injustice that servicemen and women experience in their ballots not being counted.  They deserve the same opportunity that everyone else has.  They risk their lives defending our right to vote.  We need to defend theirs."

This effort is sponsored by the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP).  The content of the information does not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the Government and no official Government endorsement should be inferred.

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