The Obama Administration is using social media for all it’s worth. On Wednesday, President Obama participated in a first-ever Twitter town hall, and federal agencies are following suit.
The Department of Energy is hosting a Twitter Question-and-Answer session Friday afternoon on fuel economy. Inquirers can tweet questions like “how can I save money on gas this summer?” provided they are 140 characters or less.
Some Republicans on the Hill already got a head start asking questions. Many of them are from the House Energy Action Team (HEAT).
Rep. Steve Womack asked, “@Energy Will the Admin support an #energy plan to cut the red tape stalling domestic energy production & create new jobs? #4jobs #heat.”
Rep. Bill Johnson of Ohio went a more personal route and asked “When will @energy OK loan guarantee for #Piketon OH #USEC plant that will bring #jobs 2 southern Ohio? #HEAT #OH06.”
Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama tweeted “RT @Energy: Will the Admin support the House-passed #energy legislation to end bureaucratic barriers to domestic production? #HEAT.” (Electric cars get renewed push on Capitol Hill)
And Rep. Cathy McMorris Rogers followed suit by asking “Q: @Energy: Americans don’t face a shortage of domestic #energy; we face a surplus of gov’t regulations. How are regs #4jobs? #HEAT.”
The question-and-answer session will behind Friday afternoon at 1 p.m. Questions will be answered by the Department of Energy’s fuel economy expert, Dr. David Greene. The agency’s Energy Blog already has some suggestions for getting the most bang for your buck at the pump. “Don’t B-E aggressive” and “Don’t carry extra junk in your trunk,” are just two of the many tips.