Republican Mitt Romney says his pledge to make the U.S. energy independent by 2020 is not "some pie in the sky" idea.
The GOP presidential candidate says his plans for reaching that goal include increased offshore oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Virginia and North Carolina. He also wants to give states the power to start energy production on federal lands.
Boosting U.S. energy production is a key aspect of Romney's economic proposals. He says his energy plans would create more than 3 million Americans jobs.
Romney said President Barack Obama's energy policies have focused too much on new technologies like wind and solar, to the determinant of oil and natural gas.