(Site Map)

ONLINE OFFICE

Internet Tools

Print Friendly Version of this page   Get Adobe Acrobat Reader  Get Windows Media Player  This Web site is speech enabled with the BrowseAloud plug-in   News Via RSS   Map Of This Site
« Return to Previous Page

Energy

Energy

Topics:
    »»Technology    »»Clean Energy Jobs    »»Energy Independence    »»Related Press
________________________________________________________________________

"By investing in alternative energy sources, increasing domestic oil and gas production, and developing next-generation energy technologies, America will be able to declare its energy independence."

— Congressman Bart Gordon

The United States is dangerously dependent on foreign sources of energy. Our country spends more than $440 billion on energy each year, consuming 26 percent of the world’s energy supply. To end our country’s dependency, a new, balanced energy policy is needed – one that is based on next-generation energy technologies, renewable energy sources, and domestic production of oil and gas.

Developing Next Generation Technology
While it may happen in 10, 20, or 30 years, scientists widely acknowledge that oil and natural gas are finite resources and eventually the world’s supply will be completely tapped. With this in mind, it is imperative that the United States, the world’s largest consumer of both oil and natural gas, start developing next-generation technologies and energy sources that are not petroleum-based. In the 110th Congress, I authored landmark legislation, the America COMPETES Act, which was signed into law. This legislation created a new agency called the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) in the U.S. Department of Energy (Newsweek article). The mission of ARPA-E is to invest in high-risk, high-reward energy research and development projects that have the potential to produce next-generation energy technologies. A similar program at the U.S. Department of Defense led to the creation of the internet and GPS technology. ARPA-E will bring national labs, private companies and universities together to develop the technologies and energy sources that will eventually put an end to our dependency on petroleum-based products. The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, which was signed into law on February 17, 2009, included $400 million in for ARPA-E.

Investing Clean Energy Sources to Create Jobs
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, from December 2007 through the end of 2008, 1.2 million jobs were lost in the manufacturing sector.  The unfortunate reality is that many of these jobs are not going to come back to United States.  Foreign competitors offer lower wages and fewer benefits making it difficult for American companies to compete.  While I am working to protect the jobs by fighting illegal foreign subsidies and outsourcing, I also believe that we must invest in new industries. Clean energy is one such industry.  Tennessee is already home to two new semiconductor plants that will serve the growing solar industry and create thousands of jobs. I recently supported the American Clean Energy and Security Act, which would guarantee the development of a clean energy economy in the United States. By promoting alternative energy sources, it would also allow our country to become the world’s leader in energy research, creating new industries and jobs here at home.

Ending our Dependence on Foreign Oil
Today, the United States imports more than two-thirds of the oil it uses.  Foreign oil cartels can disrupt our economy – let’s not forget the gas crisis of last summer – or attempt to influence our foreign policy by imposing an oil embargo like they did in 1973. According to the U.S. Department of the Interior, there are more than 800 billion barrels of recoverable oil in the United States that are currently untapped and that the nation is not trying to use. Developing and using this oil will help decrease America’s dependency on foreign oil. In September 2008, I supported the Comprehensive American Energy Security Act (press release), which would allow for domestic offshore drilling, opening up 319 million acres of the Outer Continental Shelf, and put an end to the ban on oil shale development on federal lands.  In May of 2009, I supported the increase in the national fuel efficiency standard, which is estimated to save 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the next five years.  Bart also recognizes that the key ultimately to ending our dependency is developing vehicles powered by non-petroleum products (op-ed).  I support research and development efforts aimed at this goal.


>> Recent Energy Press:

Washington Office
2306 Rayburn HOB
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-4231
Fax: (202) 225-6887
Murfreesboro Office
305 West Main Street
Murfreesboro, TN 37130
Phone: (615) 896-1986
Cookeville Office
15 South Jefferson
Cookeville, TN 38501
Phone: (931) 528-5907
Gallatin Office
100 Public Square, B-100
Gallatin, TN 37066
Phone: (615) 451-5174
Digg! Reddit! Del.icio.us! Google! Live! Facebook! Slashdot! Netscape! Technorati! StumbleUpon! Spurl! Wists! Simpy! Newsvine! Blinklist! Furl! Blogmarks! Yahoo! Netvouz! •• Privacy Policy ••