[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 11 (Monday, January 29, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S631-S632]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              NOMINATIONS


           Senator Spencer Abraham to be Secretary of Energy

  Mr. BYRD. Madam President, I supported the nomination of Senator 
Spencer Abraham as the next Secretary of Energy, and I look forward to 
working with him in his new position. While I know that Senator Abraham 
will be facing a host of new issues at the Department of Energy, I 
welcome his appointment.
  I believe that Senator Abraham has a commitment to address the many 
complicated, intertwining energy, environmental, and economic questions 
that he will be faced with on a daily basis as Energy Secretary. In 
recent years, the Department of Energy has been rocked by high profile 
scandals and security breaches and criticism for failing to address 
compounding energy policy problems. The Department of Energy has 
longstanding internal problems regarding agency morale, a complicated 
system of laboratories, the cleanup of DOE's nuclear complex, and 
competition between fuel and industry interests. Secretary Abraham will 
have a defining role in determining the needs and priorities for our 
national security, energy policy, science and technology, and 
environmental management.
  First and foremost, he will need to work with Congress in the 
development of a balanced, comprehensive national energy policy. If our 
ultimate national

[[Page S632]]

interests are ever to be achieved, we must address the overarching 
concerns witnessed by the current price hikes in gasoline, home heating 
oil, electricity, and natural gas. Though I am certain that, in time, 
these crises will pass as most crises do, I fear that, as a nation, we 
will sink back into energy somnolence. The alarm bells are ringing 
loudly today, and it is time to wake up and address our need for a 
serious comprehensive national energy strategy. At the same time, a 
comprehensive energy strategy must also incorporate a strong 
environmental policy and economic incentives to benefit our nation as a 
whole.
  The new Energy Secretary agreed with me that coal is integral to any 
national energy strategy. When I met with him, we discussed Clean Coal 
Technologies and other research that can utilize many of our domestic 
energy resources in economically and environmentally sound ways. Since 
1985, when I established the Clean Coal Technology initiative with a 
Congressional authorization of $750 million, more than $2.4 billion has 
been invested in this successful program. Secretary Abraham voiced 
Administration support for these efforts. By utilizing our nation's 
knowledge and resources, we can meet our energy demands while also 
improving the environment.
  Additionally, I urged the new Energy Secretary to find ways to 
address the global climate change challenge. I hope he will continue to 
support longstanding initiatives that can address climate change as 
well as find more ways to deploy our advanced technologies in the 
market, both domestically and internationally. These new technologies 
and ideas have been paid for by the American people, tested in our 
laboratories, and demonstrated with the support and assistance of the 
private sector, and must be deployed if the global community is ever 
going to seriously tackle the problem of global climate change.
  In the coming months, there certainly will be debate over how best to 
protect the environment, without risking the economic security of our 
own country. Adopting a commonsense national energy policy that takes 
advantage of our advanced technologies, while also utilizing our vast 
energy resources, can be a win-win situation for the environment and 
the economy.

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