[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 39 (Thursday, March 25, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H1575]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   MAKING AMERICA ENERGY INDEPENDENT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Otter) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. OTTER. Madam Speaker, those of us lucky enough to live in Idaho 
and the Northwest are blessed. Besides the unmatched beauty and the 
incredible quality of life we enjoy, our rivers provide us with 
relatively abundant and affordable hydropower that gives us a 
competitive advantage in the world marketplace.
  As residents of an arid State, my Idaho colleagues and I know better 
than to take it for granted. Yet despite being a Nation that depends 
too heavily on foreign sources of fossil fuels, America for too long 
has taken energy for granted. We have gone a dozen years now without a 
national energy policy. The time to change that is now.
  As our economic recovery picks up steam, it is more important than 
ever that the United States maintain an abundant and reliable energy 
supply; and, frankly, we are not going to achieve that without the kind 
of comprehensive national energy policy already passed three times in 
this House.
  While the recent rise in energy costs has caught many consumers by 
surprise, it is important to remember that the energy supplies and 
price concerns are nothing new. Many of us in Congress, especially on 
this side of the aisle, along with energy industry observers and 
analysts, have long been warning of the energy train wreck that is 
about to happen.
  And it is not just about oil and gas. A national energy policy must 
address a relicensing process for hydropower dams that has become a 
cumbersome and inordinately expensive proposition. It must make a sound 
commitment to alternative energy production and provide reasonable 
incentives for market-driven conservation, and it must set the stage 
for a new generation of safe and more efficient nuclear reactors that 
could further improve our energy independence.
  Indeed, I am more optimistic than ever about the potential for 
nuclear power. One of the ways in which we can reverse the mistakes of 
the past decade and start down the right track toward a stable domestic 
energy marketplace is through the expanded use of clean nuclear energy.
  Nuclear power stands out as an obvious answer to the many energy-
related challenges we now face. Back home, the Idaho National Energy 
Engineering and Environmental Laboratory and the Argonne National 
Laboratory-West are working on the next generation of nuclear reactors. 
Their vision for nuclear energy is one that will provide America's 
energy consumers with a cheap, reliable, environmentally friendly and 
inherently safe source of electricity as far into the future as the 
human mind can envision.
  I believe that the Idaho labs are headed in the right direction, and 
I am committed to helping them achieve their mission to enhance our 
Nation's nuclear power capabilities. I want to share with Members just 
a few reasons why I believe in the potential for nuclear power.
  First, nothing is burned in a nuclear reactor, so there are no 
emissions into the atmosphere. In fact, nuclear energy is responsible 
for over a 90 percent reduction in the greenhouse gas emissions coming 
from the energy industry since 1973.
  Between 1973 and 1996, nuclear power accounted for emissions 
reductions of 34.6 million tons of nitrogen oxide and 80.2 million tons 
of sulfur dioxide, and over the past 10 years nuclear plants have 
produced over 5 trillion kilowatt hours of electricity production, with 
absolutely zero carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide or particulate matter 
emissions. Beyond those benefits, existing and emerging technologies 
will solve the complexities of storing and recycling spent nuclear 
fuels.
  Second, nuclear power is a safe, reliable abundant source of power. 
Not only does the world contain plenty of resources for fueling nuclear 
reactors, but existing and emerging technologies will provide even 
greater efficiencies in the use of nuclear fuel.
  Finally, nuclear energy is a home-grown technology. Thanks to the men 
and women who have worked in Idaho's labs over the past 5 decades, our 
Nation has long been the world leader in nuclear technology and 
continues to be the world's largest consumer of nuclear energy.

                              {time}  1915

  The bottom line is this: Without a comprehensive national energy 
policy, America is a nation at risk.
  Congress must act decisively to send President Bush a blueprint for 
lowering natural gas prices, creating jobs, and making us more 
independent and secure. Only then will America be the architects of 
their own destiny.

                          ____________________