[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 53 (Wednesday, April 27, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E796-E797]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       ENERGY POLICY ACT OF 2005

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. TODD TIAHRT

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 21, 2005

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 6) to ensure 
     jobs for our future with secure, affordable, and reliable 
     energy;

  Mr. TIAHRT. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 6, 
the Energy Policy Act of 2005. This comprehensive energy bill is a 
bipartisan effort to bring lower energy prices to consumers while 
spurring our economy toward growth for the future. Hundreds of 
thousands of jobs will be created, energy conservation will be promoted 
and our environment will be cleaner as a result of the policies in this 
bill.
  House Republicans have a track record of passing energy legislation 
in both the 107th Congress and the 108th Congress. But we were 
unfortunately not able to get a bill to the President due to 
unwillingness by Senate Democrats.
  I am hopeful this year will be different and that Congress will 
finally pass an energy policy that will take our country forward. I 
know Kansans in my district are tired of paying high prices for 
gasoline, and they want a good energy bill passed soon. The longer we 
wait to pass a national energy plan, the longer it will take to counter 
rising energy costs. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 is a huge step in 
the right direction and will help both the public and private sector 
address our energy needs for years to come.
  H.R. 6 promotes clean coal technology and provides incentives for 
renewable energies such as ethanol, biomass, wind, solar and 
hydroelectricity.
  I am very pleased H.R. 6 includes a Renewable Fuels Standard that 
will help introduce up to five billion gallons a year by 2012. The more 
ethanol and biodiesel is used by drivers across America, the cleaner 
our air will be. Plus, we will be providing America's farming 
communities with alternative income opportunities for commodities such 
as corn and soybeans.
  I have spoken to numerous Kansas farmers who say over and over again 
that the ethanol provisions contained in the energy bill are good for 
our struggling rural communities. Many counties and small towns in 
Kansas have faced years of declining populations. Whenever we can 
provide increased economic opportunities for rural communities while 
providing for our nation's energy needs, we create a win-win situation.
  Another promising renewable energy source is wind energy. There are 
plenty of places in the great State of Kansas where landowners are 
eager and willing to work with private investors to capture this 
abundant natural resource and turn it into usable energy. Anyone who 
has visited our State will know we have plenty of wind. By 
reauthorizing the Renewable Energy Production Incentive program to 
provide renewable energy production incentives for wind, we are giving 
landowners and businesses the assistance needed to tap into this 
underutilized energy source.

  This legislation also establishes a Department of Energy rebate 
program for renewable energy systems installed in homes or small 
businesses. And the Federal Government is directed to use more 
renewable energy in future years with a goal of using 7.5 percent or 
more by 2013.
  By promoting forms of renewable energy, we are helping move our 
country toward a more sustainable energy future.
  In addition to promoting renewable energy sources and looking toward 
the future, this energy bill also addresses the realities of our energy 
needs today. Americans everywhere are frustrated with high gasoline 
prices. One of the contributing factors to high fuel prices is the fact 
that the United States has not built a large-scale refinery in over 20 
years. And since 1981, half of the refineries have been shut down. When 
we not only cease building new refineries, but we reduce the number of 
facilities needed to produce fuel, it is no wonder gasoline prices 
continue to steadily rise.
  H.R. 6 helps address rising fuel costs by providing an accelerated 
review and approval process for new refinery facilities in a refinery 
revitalization zone. The energy bill designates certain areas as 
refinery revitalization zones based on a region's previous refining or 
manufacturing experience and current unemployment rate.
  The United States depends on foreign sources of oil for 62 percent of 
our Nation's supply, and that percentage is projected to increase to 75 
percent within 5 years. Not only is our demand for oil rising, but 
global crude oil demand is increasing, particularly in countries like 
China. We must take action to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.
  This energy bill has several provisions that help us do just that. It 
expands our domestic supply by increasing domestic oil and gas 
exploration and development on non-park Federal lands. And by requiring 
five billion gallons of renewable fuel by 2012, we will save 1.6 
billion barrels of oil by 2012.
  The Energy Policy Act of 2005 promotes a cleaner environment by 
encouraging new innovations and the use of alternative power sources by 
launching a state-of-the-art program to enable hydrogen fuel cell cars 
to compete in the marketplace by 2020. This is just one example of how 
we are encouraging ideas to move from conception to application in the 
marketplace.
  H.R. 6 requires the Department of Energy to develop a plan outlining 
technical milestones as well as technical and non-technical hurdles to 
hydrogen vehicles and their associated infrastructure. The hydrogen 
program is to be conducted as a partnership between public and private 
enterprises to address the production of hydrogen from diverse sources.
  Hydrogen can be produced from fossil fuels, hydrogen-carrier fuels 
and renewable energy resources, including biomass and nuclear energy. 
The program also addresses pipeline hydrogen transmission, convenient 
refueling, advanced vehicle technologies, hydrogen storage and the 
development of necessary codes and standards.

  The legislation authorizes $200 million for the ``Clean Cities'' 
program, which will provide grants to state and local governments to 
acquire alternative fueled vehicles.
  H.R. 6 will improve our Nation's electricity transmission capacity 
and reliability. By providing for expedited siting processes on both 
Federal and private lands, transmission lines will be able to be more 
efficiently and quickly placed so power can be transmitted across the 
country. The bill also greatly improves the operation and reliability 
of electric transmission networks by providing for open access to 
transmission lines not previously subject to the same open access 
requirements. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is directed to 
do an incentive rate rulemaking and to provide for participant funding.
  The Energy Policy Act of 2005 promotes investment in the electric 
sector by repealing existing Public Utility Holding Company Act 
requirements and replacing them with authority for Federal and State 
regulators to examine relevant books and records.
  H.R. 6 promotes more natural gas exploration. Many Kansans rely on 
natural gas to fuel stoves, furnaces, water heaters, clothes dryers and 
even backyard barbeques. Natural gas is the cleanest fossil fuel, 
resulting in approximately 50 percent less carbon dioxide than coal and 
a third less carbon dioxide than oil. But those who rely on this energy 
source have seen their bills skyrocket.
  Provisions in H.R. 6 allow for more natural gas exploration and 
development by providing royalty relief for deep and ultra-deep gas 
wells in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Improved access to 
North America's abundant

[[Page E797]]

natural gas resources will help reduce high utility bills, create jobs 
and provide more than $500 million of increased revenues for the U.S. 
economy.
  Businesses depend on natural gas to produce steel, glass, paper, 
clothing, aluminum, brick and most importantly, electricity. Even 
farmers rely on it to produce fertilizer needed for the crops that 
ultimately become food on our tables. And cities rely on natural gas to 
comply with tough air quality standards.
  H.R. 6 also extends daylight savings time by two months. This 
extension will reduce energy consumption by the equivalent of 100,000 
barrels of oil each day. Studies indicate the proposal to adopt 
extended daylight savings time from the first Sunday in March to the 
last Sunday in November will lower crime and traffic fatalities. This 
provision will also give families more daylight hours to enjoy outdoor 
recreation and opportunity for increased economic activity.
  If America wants to be more competitive globally, we must pass a 
comprehensive energy bill that allows businesses to operate with 
sustainable, low-cost forms of energy. H.R. 6 moves us in that 
direction, and I urge my colleagues to help make America more 
competitive by voting for the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

                          ____________________