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| 6/26/2008 12:00:00 AM |
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| Remarks of U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert On Lowering Gas Prices for Americans Consumers |
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Madam Speaker, I rise today because constituents in my district are sick and tired of paying record high gas prices while Congress does nothing to increase domestic energy production.
Imagine for a moment that you are a regular working mom struggling to make ends meet. You need to get the kids to and from school; you need to get to work; you need to buy groceries; you need to do all those things that millions of working parents do everyday.
Then, at the end of the week, you stop by the gas station only find that prices are so high that you can’t even afford to fill your tank.
What do you think she would want from her representative in Congress? I know what my constituents want us to do: everything.
We should allow exploration of America’s own energy reserves in places like ANWR and Outer Continental Shelf waters.
We should bring new, carbon-friendly nuclear reactors online and begin reprocessing of nuclear fuel.
We should invest in clean coal plants with carbon sequestration technologies.
We should invest in research and development of alternative energy technologies -- be it wind, solar, or geothermal -- and we should provide the tax incentives necessary to accelerate their deployment.
In short, we should to do all of the above and more.
America can neither drill nor conserve its way to cheaper energy. We must have a comprehensive approach that does both short- and long-term solutions.
Madam Speaker, as a member of the House Science and Technology Committee, I have been a long-time advocate for research and development of advanced energy technologies like hydrogen, cellulosic fuels, solar, wind, and green buildings.
In my own district, scientists at Argonne National Laboratory are leading the way on the development of specialized batteries for plug-in hybrid vehicles. They will allow motorists to drive forty miles before using a drop of gas. That’s more than enough to cover the average American’s commute to work and back. Then they can just plug the car into a regular electrical socket and recharge for another forty miles.
I believe that significant advances in these energy technologies are just around the corner. But in the meantime, we must provide relief to hard-working Americans being squeezed by soaring gas prices. And that that means increasing the domestic supply of energy.
America is the only industrialized nation in the world that prohibits oil and natural gas exploration in its outer continental shelf waters. Foreign nations like Cuba are permitted to drill closer to our shores than American companies. And yet instead of opening America’s vast energy reserves, Congress forces us to rely on expensive oil from the Middle-East.
I agree that examining the futures market for excessive speculation and exercising proper oversight is fine and good. But if we want to effectively curb speculation in the oil market, we should show that we are serious about developing our own energy reserves. With more supply is on the horizon, speculators will have much less incentive to invest in oil commodities.
Madam Speaker, this debate isn’t just about the prices Americans are paying at the pump. It’s about a growing threat to our economy and security.
Last year alone, America expanded its dependence on foreign members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries or OPEC by an additional 7 percent. How much more money and control are we willing to turn over to nations in these unstable regions of the world?
And yet, despite this growing threat, Congress is still debating legislation that holds zero potential to increase domestic energy production or help break our addiction to foreign oil.
Madam Speaker, I’m glad that House leadership has finally recognized that we need to bring bills to the floor to address America’s energy needs. I just wish the legislation considered today was up to the task.
I yield back. |
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