[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 86 (Friday, June 30, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1162-E1163]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2001

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. GEORGE W. GEKAS

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 27, 2000

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 4733) making 
     appropriations for energy and water development for the 
     fiscal year ending September 30, 2001, and for other 
     purposes.

  Mr. GEKAS. Mr. Chairman, I would like to take a moment to discuss an 
amendment that has the potential to address a matter that is of the 
utmost importance to our nation. First I want to commend the Chairman 
for his hard and diligent work on this bill.
  The cost of gasoline has skyrocketed and America is once again forced 
to kneel at the feet of OPEC, groveling to oil barons, begging for more 
oil. It is disgraceful that this administration has let America, the 
home of the free, become subservient to foreign powers. I cannot stress 
enough the importance of the United States becoming an energy self-
sufficient nation and the positive effects this would have on our 
national security and economic prosperity.
  As you know, the price of oil in the United States has dramatically 
increased over the last year. Over the winter we saw the first spike in 
oil prices, and this administrations' response was simply to beg OPEC 
to produce more oil, in the hopes that higher supply would cause prices 
to go down. Yet, prices have skyrocketed in the last few weeks, with 
some Americans having to pay well over $2.00 for a gallon of gas. The 
impact of escalating oil costs affects prices for essential utility and 
municipal services, the distribution of vital supplies and other goods 
and services, and could threaten many American jobs. Clearly, our 
current economic prosperity is put at risk as a result of the dramatic 
increase in oil prices. It is time to take action before we are 
completely at the mercy of this oil cartel.
  Beyond any short term fixes we may soon address in the Congress, we 
must adopt a long-term energy policy that will emphasize

[[Page E1163]]

the U.S. position of being energy self-sufficient in the 21st century. 
With the vast amount of untapped resources in this country and 
technological advances which have made it easier, cheaper, and safer to 
develop and discover new domestic sources of energy, the goal of 
becoming energy self-sufficient can be a reality.
  That is why I have introduced H.R. 4035, the National Resource 
Governance Act, which I am now offering as an amendment to the Energy 
and Water Development Appropriations Act. This amendment calls on 
Congress to officially commit to the concept that the United States can 
be energy self-sufficient by the end of the decade.
  This commitment would take the form of a bipartisan blue ribbon 
commission to investigate all possible methods to make the country 
energy self-sufficient. How can we become self-sufficient? We can start 
by utilizing the oil reserves that already exist in our great land. We 
should also explore and encourage alternative resource production such 
as solar, wind, hydrogen, natural gas, gas hydrates, or other 
resources, as well as better fuel efficiency for our nation's 
transportation infrastructure.
  At the dawn of the 21st Century, the resources and ingenuity to make 
America self-sufficient for its fuel needs exist. We need to focus our 
attention on this very important issue, because the ramifications of 
becoming more dependent on these foreign powers threatens not only our 
economy, but our very existence as a world power. How many more times 
must we be put through an energy crisis and the outrageous costs 
associated with it before we commit ourselves to energy self-
sufficiency? It's time to get the power back.
  I urge the House to accept my amendment and give our nation an energy 
policy that will ensure our future.

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