Energy The First District of Kentucky is fortunate to have an abundance of coal. Over the years, this resource has helped spur economic growth and provide good jobs to citizens throughout the First District. With over a 250 year supply in the United States, coal has the potential to enhance our energy security by reducing our reliance on foreign sources. Beyond the traditional generation of electricity, coal is now being used in the industrial, transportation, residential, commercial and military sectors. New technologies have proven effective in converting coal into natural gas, liquid fuels and hydrogen. Some estimates predict that these conversion technologies could produce enough coal liquid fuel to boost the U.S. oil supply by 10 percent and natural gas production by 15 percent. Kentucky, and the First District in particular, has a long and proud history associated with the use of coal, and I am certain our area will continue to be a leader in the development of new coal technologies and innovations in the years to come.

As a member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy & Air Quality, I have worked to develop a forward-thinking energy policy for our country. I supported the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which helps address our long-term energy needs by promoting the development of new technologies, promoting conservation and efficiency, and providing tax incentives to increase energy production and promote the development of new energy infrastructures, including refineries and transmission lines. I have also used my position on the Energy and Commerce Committee to support the development of alternative and renewable energies, including biodiesel and ethanol. The First District has already proven itself to be a leader in the development and use of these fuels. The Commonwealth Agri Energy Ethanol plant in Hopkinsville is the largest producer of bioethanol in Kentucky. Each year millions of bushels of corn will be used to produce over 30 million gallons of ethanol with plans to expand to 50 million. I will continue working to support this industry that benefits our farmers, consumers and environment.

The First District is also unique in that it is home to the only remaining uranium enrichment plant in the United States, the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant. Nuclear power currently accounts for 20 percent of our nation’s electricity and is a clean, emission-free energy source. The enriched uranium fuel from the Paducah Plant helps power our nation’s commercial nuclear power plants. The workforce at the Plant has helped provide for our nation’s energy and defense needs over the past fifty years and I am proud to represent them in the Congress.

Finally, I realize many working families are facing the pressures of rising gasoline prices. In addition to the price of crude oil, a number of factors contribute to the current high prices, including damaged pipelines and the closing of refineries in the Gulf of Mexico as a result of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, supply interruptions in Venezuela, refinery outages in Nigeria, Norway's North Sea, and Canada, increased world demand, particularly in China and the United States, low inventories, and geopolitical uncertainties in the Middle East. Each of these factors plays a role the higher gasoline prices we are experiencing today. Over the next five years, China's demand for oil in general and transportation fuels in particular, is expected to undergo rapid growth, which will have the likely effect of increasing the price for crude oil and refined petroleum even more. In addition, no new oil refineries have been built in the U.S. in close to thirty years. No growth in the number of oil refineries limits the existing inventory available to meet the increased demand of a growing population. In the short-term, the Energy and Commerce Committee has held hearings on the price of gasoline. These hearings have helped the Congress better understand the factors that influence the price of gasoline and what steps we can take to ensure our country’s future energy needs are met.

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Individuals who suspect gas price gouging can email the Office of the Kentucky Attorney General at or visit to report possible price-gouging to the Department of Energy.

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