Jun 17, 2010 By Rebekah Sungala 6 min read

U.S. Rep. Mark Critz said the people of southwestern Pennsylvania are factored into every decision he makes. During a telephone town hall meeting Wednesday for 40,000 residents living in Fayette, Greene and Washington counties, Critz answered questions and discussed a variety of topics, including green energy, the BP oil spill, veterans’ affairs, illegal immigrants and how those issues affect the residents of the 12th Congressional District.

Critz, D-Johnstown, has been in office 28 days, taking over for former U.S. Rep. John P. Murtha, who died in February. Critz previously served as district director for Murtha.

“It was an odd day for me when they gave me the keys to Congressman Murtha’s former office and I moved in,” he said.

Critz said he retained most of Murtha’s staff, kept the same telephone numbers and office location and has been able to hit the ground running.

In his first week in office, Critz was able to sponsor legislation that fully reimburses military families for damaged or lost furniture as a result of a move. Military families were formerly only given the current value of the items, which was often not enough money to have the items replaced.

“It’s one little thing I was able to do, but I feel it’s important. It’s not fair that we have our military men and women moving all over the country and we weren’t fully taking care of them,” he said.

While working for Murtha from 1998 to 2010, Critz said he probably only spent “about a dozen days” in Washington, D.C., since his job as district director required him to be in southwestern Pennsylvania working for the late congressman. Critz noted that the learning curve has been great despite his familiarity with the 12th District.

“The first day I was on the floor of the House was overwhelming,” he said. “You realize that this is where the law of the United States is formed. This is where great things happen.”

Critz said he is honored to represent the 12th District and that he held his first telephone town hall meeting to directly hear the needs and wants of his constituents.

“I want to know what you feel is working, what you don’t feel is working. What you’d like me to support, and what you don’t want me to support. It’s about what you think we should be doing,” Critz said during his opening remarks.

Critz noted that his father is from Uniontown and that his mother is from Canonsburg. An aunt still lives in Uniontown, and he visits the city frequently, he said.

“I have western Pennsylvania in my DNA to the point where I know where the dead spots are for cell phone service,” he said.

During the question-and-answer session with residents, Critz responded to a question regarding the country’s dependence on fossil fuels by saying he supports green energy and believes that the 12th District could generate a great portion of green energy that would be needed.

“I think southwestern Pennsylvania can become the energy capital of the world,” he said, mentioning wind and solar power.

Critz also said natural gas extraction from the Marcellus shale and clean coal energy will further help develop the area and provide energy for the entire country.

In addition, Critz discussed the BP oil spill and said the federal government must work with BP because the government is not equipped to handle the disaster.

Critz said that in their drilling permit, BP stated it had the capabilities of cleaning 250,000 barrels of oil per day if a break occurred. BP, obviously, has not been able to keep their promise and has put the ecosystem, economy and people at risk, Critz said.

“I’m appalled that BP was able to certify that they could clean this up, that it wouldn’t be a problem if it ever happened, when it did happen and they can’t,” he said.

Critz said the disaster makes people wonder if deep-sea drilling is worth the risk, but said shutting down all drilling would also cause problems and leave thousands of people in a sluggish economy without jobs.

“I don’t think anyone, at the point, has an answer,” he said.

Despite the tragedy, Critz said he is hopeful the government, BP and scientists will soon be able to come up with a resolution.

“It’s really going to have to be a partnership,” he said. “There is nothing the government has in place to handle this. We can’t just ride in on our white horses and take care of it. I’m hopeful that the smart people in this country, and the world, will save us.”

As for veterans’ affairs, Critz said he is not only supportive of military men and women, but also of their families.

“When men and women sign on that dotted line and are willing to put their lives on the line for our country, it’s our obligation to make sure they and their families are taken care of,” he said.

Critz said that he will do everything within his power to help develop the economy so that returning veterans have decent, well-paying jobs to return home to.

Creating an economy that provides good jobs for civilians is also a priority, he said, noting that money is tight but that he will also continue to support revitalization efforts in communities and he looks forward to working with state, county and local officials.

“My pledge is that we sit down and look at what opportunity exists in all our budgets to see what we can make happen together,” he said.

In regards to illegal immigrants, Critz said the United States must take a hard stance and must secure it borders.

Immigrants who are already living in the county illegally should not be allowed to circumvent the system, and employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants need to be held responsible.

“We haves tens of millions of illegal immigrants living in this country, 12 to 14 million, the numbers are astronomical,” he said. “There are immigrants out there who are following the rules and doing what they are supposed to do. Folks here illegally should have to go to the end of the line, which means go back to their country and re-enter the right way.”

In addition, Critz discussed the Second Amendment, saying he supports gun owners’ rights and is a lifelong member of the National Rifle Association, and also discussed issues involving expanded unemployment benefits and health care.

For more information on Critz, visit www.critz.house.gov/.