[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 68 (Thursday, May 17, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H2327-H2328]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       ENERGY SHORTAGE MAY BE MOST SERIOUS PROBLEM FACED IN YEARS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Ballenger). Under the Speaker's 
announced policy of January 3, 2001, the gentleman from Pennsylvania 
(Mr. Peterson) is recognized for 31 minutes, the remainder of the 
leadership hour.
  Mr. PETERSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, the problem facing this 
country, an energy shortage, may be the most serious problem we have 
faced in years. The California brownouts are only a symptom of a huge 
energy shortage that is prevalent in this country.
  Ten dollar oil and a dollar per gallon gas lulled this country into a 
comfort zone that all is well with energy availability.
  The Clinton-Gore administration, unfortunately, had no energy policy. 
The Clinton-Gore administration sold that conservation, and 
conservation is appropriate, and renewables would gradually replace 
fossil fuels. Yet, they supported new difficult regulations that made 
it almost impossible to realize this hydro, the most prevalent of 
renewables.
  The Clinton-Gore administration sold that conservation renewables 
would gradually replace fossil fuels. Yet their regulations and 
policies did not support the relicensing of hydro, the most prevalent 
renewable source. They certainly did not propose the renewal or to make 
it easy to renew the operating license of existing safe nuclear plants. 
In fact, in reality, the Clinton-Gore administration started phasing 
out fossil fuel production before there was a replacement available.
  So today we have a shortage of almost all kinds of energy. When one 
looks at how we make electricity today, 52 percent of our electricity 
comes from coal; 20 percent comes from nuclear, but most of those 
plants need to be relicensed and many felt it would be unable to 
relicense them in the last administration; 7 percent comes from hydro, 
and many feel it is going to be very difficult under the last 
administration's rules and regulations to relicense hydro, the most 
available renewable energy we have and the cleanest. Natural gas 
currently powers 16 percent of electric generation; oil, 3 percent; 
other renewables, 2 percent.
  Now, we need to continue on the other renewables. We need to continue 
with solar and wind and geothermal. But if we double it, it will only 
produce 4 percent of our electricity. If we triple it, it will only 
produce 6 percent of our electricity.

                              {time}  1630

  In the next 20 years America's demand for oil will increase by 33 
percent according to the Energy Information Institute. We are 
increasingly dependent, as we have already heard, on foreign 
governments for our oil. Back in 1973, when we were in crisis, we 
imported just 36 percent of our oil from overseas. Today we are 
somewhere between 58 and 60 percent. The number of U.S. refineries has 
been cut in half since 1980. A few have expanded, but no new ones have 
been built.
  Then we come to natural gas. Consumer prices for natural gas have 
spiked this year. Home heating costs have doubled. I know industries 
who use a lot of gas who had their rates double, triple, and quadruple. 
America's demand for natural gas is expected to rise even more 
dramatically than oil. According to the Department of Energy, by the 
year 2020 we will consume 62 percent more natural gas than we do today.
  In fact, one of my fears, one of my personal fears that I have been 
observing for the last couple of years is the amount of gas we have 
allocated to generation, because it is the quickest to build and it is 
the cleanest fuel we can burn to make electricity. The amount we have 
allocated to generation is greater than the amount that is being 
predicted to come into the system.
  What happens when we use more than we have? The prices are going to 
escalate. It is the one fuel that worries me because it is what most 
American seniors use to heat their homes. It is what most American 
businesses have as the fuel that runs their business. Our hospitals and 
our schools and our universities, most of them use natural gas. If 
natural gas prices spike excessively again this year, we will have a 
huge heavy load placed on business, we will harm the economy, and we 
will force seniors to not be able to live in their homes.
  Right now an estimated 40 percent of potential gas supplies in the 
United States are on Federal lands that are either closed to 
exploration or limited by severe restrictions. When we look at the map, 
the whole California coastline is closed, the whole eastern coastline 
of this country is closed, all of the area around Florida is closed; 
and yet other countries drill all around their shorelines and use 
natural gas as their heat. I guess Norway is one of the best at it.
  Even if we find supplies of gas, moving it to market will require an 
additional 38,000 miles of pipeline and 255,000 miles of transmission 
line at huge costs.
  Electricity, hydroelectric power generation, as I said earlier, is 
expected to fall sharply because of relicensing.

[[Page H2328]]

 Coal has historically been America's one source for affordable 
electricity. It currently powers half of America's electricity 
generators. Our Nation has enough coal to keep those plants running for 
250 years. In fact, we have 40 percent of the world's coal, and we have 
2 percent of the world's oil. It seems to me that coal should not be in 
a phase-out mode, as it has been with the past administration. We must 
use clean coal technologies to ensure this country's future for energy 
in the future.
  Coal generators have already been required to make broad reductions 
in emissions. The Bush administration supports these efforts and will 
back it up with greater incentives for investments in clean coal 
technology. President Bush made the right decision not to impose new 
Federal mandates on the emissions of carbon dioxide. That is the same 
gas we breathe out when we breathe. There are those who have criticized 
him for that. If he had allowed those regulations to come into place, 
coal use in this country would have come to a screeching stop because 
there is no replacement for it.
  If America is to continue to have reliable electricity over the next 
20 years, coal must play a continued role. If coal does not play a 
major role, from my point of view, this country will have very high 
energy prices and this country will face an economic recession. Nuclear 
power and hydroelectric face uncertain futures due to past policies. 
Hopefully, they will not under this new administration.
  I am encouraged by the recommendation of the energy plan to increase 
our domestic energy supply by utilizing our public lands in a 
reasonable manner. Our Nation's public lands could and should play a 
role in sustainable energy policy. Thanks to so many new incredible 
developments in energy research, exploration and technology over the 
last 20 years, we can confidently explore for oil and gas and coal on 
our public lands in an environmentally-sound manner without leaving 
anything other than a small footprint.
  The Federal Government owns one-third of this country; yet there are 
those who are opposed to use of public lands for energy production. 
One-third of America is owned by the Federal Government, and when we 
add State and local governments, somewhere between 45 and 50 percent of 
this country is owned by government. If all that land is going to be 
locked up to resource use, this country does not have an economic 
future.

  Yes, ANWR is one of the areas where there is lots of discussion. The 
Energy Department says the coastal plain of ANWR is the largest 
unexplored potentially productive onshore basin for oil and gas in the 
United States. ANWR could contain enough oil to offset all Iraq imports 
for the next 46 years. Oil production in Alaska's Arctic occurs under 
the world's best environmental standards. Many of the countries we rely 
on for oil have little or no environmental regulations.
  Oil development is strongly supported by the Eskimo people who 
actually live on the north slope of Alaska and by 75 percent of all 
Alaskans. Exploration would be done using 21st century technology, 
supercomputers, ice roads that melt in the spring, and directional 
drilling. Only 3 square miles of the coastal plain of the 30,600 square 
miles of ANWR would be affected. Only 3 square miles. That would leave 
30,597 square miles untouched.
  I certainly think for the future of this country, having a strong 
energy source, and none of these are a silver bullet, none of these 
solve the problem; but we need them all. It is the equivalent of 
building an airport one-fifth the size of Dulles in the State of South 
Carolina. The caribou herd in and near the Prudhoe Bay oil field is 
five times larger than when development began. All other wildlife 
species are healthy, no endangered species. Contrary to the myth the 
environmental extremists created, there is no north slope oil being 
exported. None has been since May 2000. When it was exported, no more 
than 5 percent was sold abroad. This is less than exported by the West 
Coast of the United States.
  We barely think about the plight of the American farmer, but 
agriculture is paying huge costs because of energy. The cost of 
fertilizer has risen. In fact, some fertilizer plants have actually 
gone out of business. Some fertilizer plants sold their gas this year 
because they could make more money in selling the gas than producing 
the fertilizer.
  We have not built a refinery in this country since 1976. In fact, 36 
U.S. refineries have closed since 1992. We have not built a nuclear 
reactor in 20 years. California has not built a power plant of any sort 
in 10 years. According to Edison Electric Institute, our investment in 
our electricity infrastructure has dropped 15 percent since 1990; yet 
use of that system has jumped 400 percent in just the last 4 years. 
Most of the new plants built in this country are being fueled by 
natural gas, but we need to have the natural gas to run them.
  The future of America depends on an energy policy. I have strong 
faith in the Bush administration and their proposal to take us where we 
need to be. There should be debate. Conservation should lead the road. 
We all need to get into the conservation business. We must use our 
energy wisely, but we must have a strong source of energy so that we 
have choices and people have options.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back my time.

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