[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 46 (Wednesday, April 12, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E543]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           ENERGY POLICY AND CONSERVATION ACT REAUTHORIZATION

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                               speech of

                             HON. RON KLINK

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 11, 2000

  Mr. KLINK. Mr. Speaker, I am in support of H.R. 2884, reauthorizing 
the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, and the President's authority 
to draw down the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The reserve contains 570 
million barrels of oil to be used in a national emergency and it is 
critical that the Senate pass H.R. 2884 and that the President sign it 
into law as quickly as possible.
  I am pleased that it establishes a ``Northeast Home Heating Oil 
Reserve.'' This will help everyone, including people in Pennsylvania, 
persons paying home heating oil bills, diesel truck drivers, farmers 
who must operate tractors, and drivers of regular cars. If we have an 
emergency or severe winter weather, 2 million barrels of oil will be 
available on reserve and diesel fuel will not be confiscated to use as 
home heating oil. This will keep prices down for home owners, 
especially senior citizens and the poor, and for drivers of cars, 
trucks, and for farmers driving tractors.
  Along with helping Pennsylvania, the Northeast Home Heating Oil 
Reserve will be available for Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, 
Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey.
  It is my hope that, with this reserve, our constituents will not have 
to suffer high payments for home heating oil and gasoline as they did 
this past winter. For example, a constituent in Pennsylvania, Jim 
Luchini of Kirk Trucking in Delmont, Pennsylvania, sent me figures back 
in January, showing that prices at the diesel fuel pumps increased in 
some places by 10 cents in 24 hours. For home heating oil, it was 
especially painful for our constituents who are senior citizens, or who 
are poor, to have paid over $2.00 a gallon. None of our constituents 
should have to make a choice between heating their homes or buying food 
or medicine.
  On March 21, 2000 I introduced H. Con. Res. 291, asking that the 
President draw down the Strategic Petroleum Reserve if the OPEC nations 
did not decide to increase production so as to bring prices down. I was 
pleased that OPEC did agree to increase production and bring relief to 
our nation. I want to thank several of my colleagues from Pennsylvania 
for co-sponsoring H. Con. Res. 291: Mr. Murtha, Mr. Robert Brady, Mr. 
Holden, Mr. Mascara, and Mr. Coyne. I would further like to thank my 
colleagues from Maryland and several New England states, Mr. Wynn, Mr. 
Baldacci, Mr. Olver, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Gejdenson, Mr. Weygand, Mr. 
Kennedy, and Mr. Maloney for co-sponsoring the resolution.
  But relying on OPEC is inadequate. H. Con. Res. 291 also asked that 
the President and Secretary of Energy should prepare for future threats 
to the economy and the energy supply of the United States by developing 
methods to increase the quantity of crude oil in the Strategic 
Petroleum Reserve in an economically reasonable manner, and maximize 
the use of domestic energy resources.
  We need to establish a sound energy policy in this country, so that 
we do not have to rely on OPEC: an efficient manner of oil production, 
clean coal technology, since coal is so abundant in Pennsylvania and 
many other states across the nation, and we must give a sincere effort 
to establishing renewable energy as a source of fuels. As a member of 
the Renewable Energy Caucus, I have worked to increase appropriations 
to fund renewable energy research and development programs--solar, 
wind, biomass, hydrogen, geothermal, and hydropower.
  In order to meet the most immediate needs of our constituents in 
alleviating the high prices they pay to heat their home and fuel their 
vehicles, the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve is a first step in the 
right direction, and I urge that the Senate pass it as quickly as 
possible.

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