[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 11 Introduced in House (IH)]







111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 11

 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United 
   States, in collaboration with other international allies, should 
 establish an energy project with the magnitude, creativity, and sense 
  of urgency that was incorporated in the ``Man on the Moon'' project 
           address the inevitable challenges of ``Peak Oil''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 6, 2009

Mr. Bartlett submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                  the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United 
   States, in collaboration with other international allies, should 
 establish an energy project with the magnitude, creativity, and sense 
  of urgency that was incorporated in the ``Man on the Moon'' project 
           address the inevitable challenges of ``Peak Oil''.

Whereas the United States has only 2 percent of the world's oil reserves;
Whereas the United States produces 8 percent of the world's oil and consumes 25 
        percent of the world's oil, of which nearly 60 percent is imported from 
        foreign countries;
Whereas developing countries around the world are increasing their demand for 
        oil consumption at rapid rates; for example, the average consumption 
        increase, by percentage, from 2003 to 2004 for the countries of Belarus, 
        Kuwait, China, and Singapore was 15.9 percent;
Whereas the United States consumed more than 937,000,000 tonnes of oil in 2004, 
        and that figure could rise in 2005 given previous projection trends;
Whereas, as fossil energy resources become depleted, new, highly efficient 
        technologies will be required in order to sustainably tap replenishable 
        resources;
Whereas the Shell Oil scientist M. King Hubbert accurately predicted that United 
        States domestic production would peak in 1970, and a growing number of 
        petroleum experts believe that the peak in the world's oil production 
        (Peak Oil) is likely to occur in the next decade while demand continues 
        to rise;
Whereas North American natural gas production has also peaked;
Whereas the United States is now the world's largest importer of both petroleum 
        and natural gas;
Whereas the population of the United States is increasing by nearly 30,000,000 
        persons every decade;
Whereas the energy density in one barrel of oil is the equivalent of eight 
        people working full time for one year;
Whereas affordable supplies of petroleum and natural gas are critical to 
        national security and energy prosperity; and
Whereas the United States has approximately 250 years of coal at current 
        consumption rates, but if that consumption rate is increased by 2 
        percent per year, coal reserves are reduced to 75 years: Now, therefore, 
        be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) in order to keep energy costs affordable, curb our 
        environmental impact, and safeguard economic prosperity, 
        including our trade deficit, the United States must move 
        rapidly to increase the productivity with which it uses fossil 
        fuel, and to accelerate the transition to renewable fuels and a 
        sustainable, clean energy economy; and
            (2) the United States, in collaboration with other 
        international allies, should establish an energy project with 
        the magnitude, creativity, and sense of urgency of the ``Man on 
        the Moon'' project to develop a comprehensive plan to address 
        the challenges presented by Peak Oil.
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