[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 84 (Thursday, June 17, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H4293]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           NATURAL GAS SUPPLY

  (Mr. TERRY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I commend the House for dedicating much of 
this week to energy, and I want to spend time today on the natural gas 
crisis. Clean-burning natural gas heats our homes, cooks our meals, and 
is used to produce almost everything we use, from food to fertilizer, 
to cars and clothes; but soaring natural gas prices have a devastating 
ripple effect on our economy. Families are paying hundreds of dollars 
more annually for their natural gas.
  The U.S. chemical industry has cut at least 90,000 jobs in the past 4 
years. Manufacturers have moved overseas where gas prices are much 
lower. Farmers have seen the cost of fertilizer double in 4 years as 
fertilizer imports have increased by 43 percent.
  The Energy Policy Act, which the House passed again this week, would 
dramatically boost domestic natural gas supplies and lower prices. By 
adopting this balanced plan, we would save Americans approximately $1 
trillion in natural gas costs over the next 20 years, $1 trillion saved 
along with hundreds of thousands of jobs.

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