[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 96 (Tuesday, July 16, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H4678]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         NATIONAL ENERGY POLICY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Ballenger). Pursuant to the order of the 
House of January 23, 2002, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus) is 
recognized during morning hour debates for 2 minutes.
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to talk 
about the need for a national energy policy and push the conferees to 
move. We all know that we have an overreliance on foreign oil. That is 
why we need to push for the renewable portfolio presented in the Senate 
bill. We need to protect our marginal wells, and we need the 
development of ANWR.
  We all know that we need to increase our electricity generation. That 
is why we need to continue to push for the use of natural gas in 
generation. We need to support and focus on clean coal technology and 
continue the use of nuclear generation which is very clean to the 
environment.
  The national grid is also a concern. We need to continue to expand 
the national grid; hence, the need to move the electricity title of 
this bill.
  Energy independence will drive down costs across the board and 
decrease costs. It will help create jobs and help the economy to 
continue to move forward. Eighty-four percent of all Americans say in a 
recent poll that we must not leave, we being legislators here in 
Washington, that we must not leave Washington without the enactment of 
a national energy plan. I am one that agrees with this poll.

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