[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 115 (Monday, September 25, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9210-S9211]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             ENERGY CRISIS

  Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I join my colleague from Alabama in 
noting that what the President is doing on SPR, in my view, is a 
diversion. It is not solving the fundamental problem we have with the 
energy supply in this country--either the refining capacity that has 
been limited, as the Senator from Alaska, Mr. Murkowski, has spoken of, 
or the supply of the raw resource, about which the Senator from Alaska 
and others have spoken. We need to be able to get access to that, and 
this administration has stopped that from taking place. They stopped it 
from taking place on our shores and stopped an expansion of biomass, 
biofuels, and ethanol production. They have not been supportive of 
expansion there as well. They stopped expansion in places such as in 
Central Asia, in which I have done a fair amount of work. There are 
large reserves of hydrocarbons and oil and gas there. They have done 
nothing to bring this on-line. Yet countries in that region of the 
world--many of which most people haven't heard of--have, I believe, the 
third largest pool of hydrocarbons in the world. They are seeking ways 
to get it out to the West in an oil and gas pipeline. This 
administration hasn't done anything to get that started.
  So here we are today with high fuel prices, with no end in sight. 
Despite the President's diversion by using SPR and the misuse of this 
program--the way it was set up at least, the fundamental problem 
remains. We have to deal with the supply issue, and this administration 
hasn't done that. I applaud my colleague from Alabama for addressing 
that issue.
  Mr. SESSIONS. Will the Senator yield?
  Mr. BROWNBACK. Yes.
  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, the Senator has been here, as I have, 
for nearly 4 years now. I want to just ask him this: Has Senator 
Murkowski, who chairs the Energy Committee, and others in this 
Congress, been warning for years about this, saying that we were denied 
American production, that it was going to come back to haunt us and 
prices would go up and it would drain our wealth? Have they been urging 
this administration for years to deal with it and support some 
production?
  Mr. BROWNBACK. Absolutely. He has been stating that for a long period 
of time. The administration, each step along the way, has continued to 
thwart, stall, and say things that were positive but with no action. 
That is what I have seen taking place in pushing for marginal well tax 
credits for

[[Page S9211]]

small oil well production such as we have in Kansas. We need to 
encourage this domestic production. Let's have a tax credit for these 
marginal oil wells that produce less than 10 barrels a day. You get 
positive comments from the administration, but then nothing happens. On 
biofuels or Central Asia, there is enormous capacity in that region for 
oil and gas. Yes, this takes place, but what are you going to do to 
cause this to happen? What is your strategy? Nothing is put forward.
  Here we are with high gas prices and high heating oil. My parents 
burn propane to heat their home. They are paying a significant premium 
price now. All of these things are taking place, and then their answer 
is to tap this 1\1/2\ day supply, instead of dealing with fundamentals 
which they have failed to do over a period of time. So we have been 
warned. I hope we can press the administration, and I hope this is 
something to which people pay attention.

  Mr. SESSIONS. I thank the Senator for those comments, and I do think 
it is important for America. The average citizen doesn't have time to 
watch debate here and hear what goes on in committees, but this has 
been a matter of real contention for a number of years. There have been 
warnings by people such as Senator Murkowski, who chairs the Energy 
Committee, and others, that this would occur, and it has now occurred. 
I think it is particularly a condemnation of the policy when you have 
been told about the consequences and warned about it publicly and still 
you have not acted. That, to me, is troubling. I appreciate the 
Senator's comments.
  I yield the floor.

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