Christine Whitman and I have been good friends for a number of years, and I can still remember how pleased I was to support her candidacy for governor back in 1993 when I was chair of the Republican Governors' Association.
Governor Whitman and I have worked closely together in the National Governors' Association where she was a very active member. I know of her interest in and commitment to the environment because I appointed her to serve as the chairperson of the NGA's Committee on Natural Resources.
Even though we had some differences because of the regions of the country that we represent, we collaborated on many issues, including giving states greater control over waste flow control as well as shipments of out-of-state waste.
Throughout her term in office, Governor Whitman has been interested in protecting public health and the environment, and has made it one of her priorities.
To point out a few of her accomplishments, Governor Whitman has provided nearly $675 million in loans and over $17 million in grants for a variety of clean water and drinking water infrastructure projects in New Jersey; she has worked to clean up New Jersey's waters, making 100 percent of the state's beaches "swimmable" and increasing the acreage in her state available for shellfish harvesting; and she has fought to preserve farmland and other open spaces including approving $11 million to preserve Sterling Forest in New York a major watershed region for millions of residents of northern New Jersey and New York City.
As governor, Christine Whitman has understood that being a good environmental steward can be done responsibly; that there is a balance that can and must be maintained between economic progress and environmental protection.
It is that balance that this Senator will work to achieve with Governor Whitman when she is as I believe she will be confirmed by the Senate.
Governor Whitman, an issue that is of concern to me and millions of Americans is the high price of energy, coupled with the need to maintain a reliable energy supply. With electricity, natural gas and home heating oil prices skyrocketing and gasoline prices remaining high, it has become apparent that our country's lack of a comprehensive energy policy must be addressed. Since at least the mid- 1970's, Congress and presidential administrations of both parties have been unwilling, unable and unmotivated to implement a long-term energy policy.
As an aside, it seems like deja vu as we all sit here today awaiting the outcome of another OPEC meeting that is being held to determine what production levels will be imposed by this oil cartel.
Today, the United States relies on more foreign sources of oil than at any other time in history. However, even if we wanted to increase the production of crude oil in this country, there has not been a new refinery constructed in 25 years due, in part, to changes in U.S. environmental policies. Additionally, 36 refineries have closed since the beginning of the Clinton Administration, in part, because of strict environmental standards.
Last year, the existing refineries were running at 95 percent capacity or higher for much of the year. With our refineries running at these levels, even if a greater oil supply was available, there would be no capability for refineries to turn it into useful products. As a result, we must rely on overseas supplies at an astronomical cost from a region fraught with instability. Until new refining capacity is available, even minor supply disruptions will continue to lead to drastic increases in fuel prices.
In addition, natural gas heats 56 million American homes and provides 15 percent of the nation's electric power, for nearly one-quarter of our energy supply. Because natural gas burns so cleanly, it is easier to obtain the environmental permits necessary to build natural gas-run energy plants. Thus, it is easy to see why up to 95 percent of all new electric generation plants that are currently being built are expected to use natural gas for fuel.
The popularity of natural gas is good for the environment, but the high demand for it is beginning to pinch the pocketbook, resulting in soaring costs. We should not forget that other energy resources are available which can provide additional sources of clean, low-cost power.
New technologies are making coal an increasingly cleaner source of electricity. We shouldn't forget this valuable, abundant natural resource with an estimated domestic supply of 250 years as we move forward with an energy policy that not only protects our environment, but also continues to meet consumer's needs for power.
During this energy crisis, it is critical that we restructure our country's disjointed energy policy into a national plan that is comprehensive, cohesive and cost-efficient. This is a goal that we cannot accomplish without considering the role environmental regulations play in our energy infrastructure, and Governor Whitman, I would be interested in hearing your views on what we should do to forge a comprehensive energy policy, and the role that the EPA should play in developing that policy.
One other area that I am interested in, and which I know Governor Whitman cares about, is the need to enact brownfields legislation. In fact, I introduced legislation last year to provide incentives to clean up abandoned industrial sites across the country, put them back into productive use and save our greenspaces.
The main impetus behind my legislation was my view that we need to create more certainty in the brownfields cleanup process. Parties that clean up non-NPL sites under state cleanup laws need to be certain about the rules that apply to them, particularly that their actions terminate the risk of future liability under Superfund.
We need to create that certainty by allowing states to release parties that have cleaned up sites under state laws and programs from federal liability.
Again, I intend to reintroduce my legislation once the Senate re-convenes, but, Governor Whitman, I would like to hear your views as to what the administration will do with respect to implementing a fair and reasonable brownfields policy that does not impede progress on site clean-ups that have been conducted via state standards.
Finally, I would like to talk about an issue that I believe to be very important; one that affects all federal agencies and departments the human capital crisis.
By 2004, 32 percent of all federal employees will be eligible for regular retirement, and 21 percent more will be eligible for early retirement. Taken together, more than half the federal workforce 900,000 employees will be eligible to leave government service in just 4 years.
While I don't expect such a mass exodus, it's certain that we will lose a lot of good people who have the experience and know-how necessary to meet the expectations of the American taxpayer.
For instance, at the EPA, the loss of scientists could affect attempts to revise environmental standards, while the loss of lawyers could have an impact on enforcement action timetables.
All in all, fewer qualified federal employees could have a tremendous economic and societal impact.
Last month, I released a report titled "Report to the President: The Crisis in Human Capital," a guide for the Bush administration to respond to this crisis while it can still be reasonably addressed, and before it reaches critical mass.
I am ready to work with the administration in helping to resolve this impending crisis and to create greater awareness among my colleagues in order to pass legislative remedies. In the meantime, Governor Whitman, I hope you quickly familiarize yourself with the human capital needs at the EPA and I would be interested in hearing how you intend to respond to this challenge.
Mr. Chairman, everyone in this room agrees that we need to protect the environment and the health of our citizens. I believe that Congress and the Administration need to do a much better job of ensuring that the costs of laws and regulations bear a reasonable relationship with their benefits to public health and the environment, and we need to do a better job of setting priorities and spending our resources wisely.
How we do that will have an enormous impact on our ability to create a national energy policy, secure our national defense and economic competitiveness in the world marketplace, and respond to the need to maintain a reliable source of energy as well as address the soaring cost of energy in this nation costs that are impacting most severely on those least able to pay, primarily, seniors on fixed incomes and low-income families.
The unrest that is happening in the Middle East and the soaring cost of energy in the United States means that this nation's lack of a cohesive and comprehensive energy policy will be on the "front burner" for quite some time. And Governor Whitman, you and President-elect Bush will be in the kitchen.