[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 114 (Wednesday, September 5, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1576]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              SECURING AMERICA'S FUTURE ENERGY ACT OF 2001

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. JAMES R. LANGEVIN

                            of rhode island

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, August 1, 2001

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill. (H.R. 4) to 
     enhance energy conservation, research and development and to 
     provide for security and diversity in the energy supply for 
     the American people, and for other purposes.

  Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 4, the 
Securing America's Future Energy (SAFE) Act, and urge my colleagues to 
vote against this legislation.
  The growth of the U.S. economy over the last decade has significantly 
increased our nation's need for energy. Maintaining a reliable and 
affordable supply of power is essential to American businesses and 
consumers, and we must take precautions to ensure that our economy is 
not stalled due to blackouts or prohibitively high energy costs. Our 
nation's energy policy should guarantee access to affordable power, 
encourage conservation efforts, and pursue increased use of 
environmentally responsible and renewable sources of energy. While I 
applaud the House's effort to address our nation's energy needs, I am 
greatly troubled by some of the provisions of the SAFE Act.
  H.R. 4 permits energy exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife 
Refuge (ANWR), which I strongly oppose, as drilling in this 
environmentally fragile area would have a harmful impact on its diverse 
array of animal and bird species. I am greatly disappointed by this 
destructive provision, and believe we must protect Alaskan wilderness 
by continuing the current moratorium on drilling in ANWR.
  The SAFE Act also misses a prime opportunity to decrease oil 
consumption by increasing corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) 
standards for our nation's vehicles. I support the amendment offered by 
the gentleman from New York (Mr. Boehlert) to require sport utility 
vehicles (SUV's) to meet the fuel efficiency requirements of passenger 
vehicles, rather than adhere to the current light trucks standard. 
Closing this ``SUV loophole'' could reduce U.S. daily oil consumption 
by 1 million barrels--the approximate daily estimated oil yield from 
the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
  I am also disturbed that the bill provides such extensive tax breaks 
to the oil and gas industry. Though the energy sector is reporting 
record profits, H.R. 4 offers billions of dollars in tax deductions for 
oil and gas activities. This provision is particularly egregious in 
light of the recently passed $1.35 trillion tax cut that now endangers 
our federal surplus. Additionally, the bill further threatens our 
dwindling surplus by repealing existing fuel taxes for railroad and 
inland waterway transportation.
  Again, I appreciate the efforts of many of my colleagues to address 
our nation's energy needs, but I have significant reservations with 
some of the priorities of H.R. 4, and hope that we will be able to 
address some of these concerns in the near future.

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