[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 49 (Thursday, April 21, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H2398]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         THE ENERGY POLICY ACT

  (Ms. BERKLEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. BERKLEY. Madam Speaker, now is the time to create an energy plan 
to wean this country from its reliance on foreign oil and to harness 
renewable energy sources. It is not the time to line the pockets of the 
special interests. This Congress should be developing a long-term 
energy policy that will make this Nation energy independent by 
utilizing 21st-century technology, not propping up obsolete energy 
sources guaranteed to continue this Nation's reliance on the oil, gas, 
and nuclear industries.
  We should be putting our resources into the research and development 
of renewable energy, harness the sun, wind, geothermal. At a time when 
oil companies are reaping record profits, the Republican energy bill 
will give 93 percent of the subsidies in this bill to the oil, gas, and 
nuclear industries and chump change for research and development of 
renewable energy. It boggles my mind that at a time of record prices 
for gasoline, we are doing absolutely nothing in this bill to reduce 
gas prices. This debacle of a Republican bill will actually increase 
gas prices by 3 cents on the gallon.
  I am appalled that we would spend one cent more on nuclear energy 
when we have no solution to the nuclear waste problem. We continue to 
lavish billions of dollars on the nuclear industry when we have no safe 
way to store the waste. I hope that we defeat this ridiculous piece of 
legislation.

                          ____________________