[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 171 (Saturday, November 22, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2418]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   H.R. 6--ENERGY POLICY ACT OF 2003

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. CHARLES W. STENHOLM

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 18, 2003

  Mr. STENHOLM. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise in support of H.R. 6, the 
energy bill that America has waited so long for. Like the original 
House version of this legislation, I intend to support the conference 
report on the floor today, but not without some reservation.
  Since being elected to Congress in 1978, I've carefully watched our 
federal spending and have advocated for a balanced budget. Under our 
current policies, America is facing a $400 billion budget shortfall, 
and we will continue to run deficits for the foreseeable future. This 
energy bill conference report continues on that path of fiscal 
irresponsibility. The Joint Committee on Taxation stated this bill will 
cost up to $23.5 billion dollars. I am very disappointed this 
conference report didn't include the offsets that the Senate version 
did.
  However, I truly believe this legislation provides the proper 
framework to diversify America's fuel sources. As Ranking Member of the 
House Agriculture Committee, I'm glad there are greater incentives for 
increased production of ethanol. I'm glad to see production tax credits 
for wind, solar and biomass energy, as well as nuclear electricity 
generation. Diversification of our nation's energy sources will help us 
meet our goal of reducing our dependence on foreign sources of fuel.
  More importantly, this energy bill provides the right tools for 
independent oil and gas producers to continue producing from our own 
fields, right here in this country. I've been fighting for these 
measures for years, and I'm glad Congress is finally going to implement 
them. The time is long overdue for Congress to recognize the importance 
for America to decrease our use of oil and gas from foreign countries 
and to capitalize on the resources beneath our own soil. And, contrary 
to what many groups will lead us to conclude, we can drill for oil and 
gas without doing damage to our environment. Former U.S. Senator Lloyd 
Bentsen of Texas once said that when America imported more than half of 
its crude and petroleum products, it would have reached a point of 
peril. Friends and colleagues, we have reached that point.
  Although I intend to support this legislation, I must express my 
extreme disappointment of the process in which this bill was 
considered. I have worked for years in Congress to promote equality and 
bipartisanship in this great institution. However, this bill was 
written behind closed doors with no input from the public. 
Unfortunately, my Democratic colleagues were not given the opportunity 
to offer significant amendments to the legislation. This conference 
report isn't perfect, and it could have been improved significantly if 
my colleagues were allowed to bring their ideas to the negotiating 
table and if we were allowed to offset the cost of this legislation.

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