[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 109 (Tuesday, September 6, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1759-E1760]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 6, ENERGY POLICY ACT OF 2005

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 28, 2005

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, of everything that can be said about this 
$15 billion giveaway to the oil and gas industry--that it does nothing 
to alleviate the record high costs of oil, nothing to reduce our 
dependence on oil--the worst may be that it is a missed opportunity. 
And that is because it fails to harness America's entrepreneurial 
spirit to develop new sources of energy. It is a continuation of the 
status quo at a time when we need a new American energy policy--bold 
new thinking to foster energy independence and grow our Nation's 
economy in a way that addresses the threat of global warming.
  But instead, this bill provides billions in tax breaks for oil 
companies already reaping record profits. It does little to encourage 
development of new forms of energy. And it restricts States' abilities 
to protect their own natural resources.
  Mr. Speaker, Americans are rightly concerned about how our dependence 
on foreign oil affects our foreign policy. This bill does nothing to 
reduce that dependence. If anything, it enshrines that dependence into 
law. Today we import 58 percent of our oil, and by 2025 we will still 
import between 64 and 68 percent of our oil, even after enacting this 
legislation. Nor does it reduce skyrocketing gasoline prices--something 
even the president has conceded.
  And that is because this bill rejects common sense ideas that could 
help us reduce our need for foreign oil. The conference committee 
rejected a measure that would have required America to decrease its oil 
consumption by 5 percent by 2015. At a time when Americans are fed-up 
with high gasoline prices, we should be looking for ways to reduce 
their need to fill-up at the pump. But the committee also rejected a 
modest proposal that would have increased the fuel efficiency of our 
cars by one mile per gallon per year for the next 15 years.
  The final version of this bill also rejects a Senate proposal to 
require utilities to generate 10 percent of their electricity from 
renewable sources by 2020. This provision would have helped us to 
significantly reduce our dependence on traditional polluting sources of 
electricity. Another missed opportunity.
  As if the lack of new thinking in this bill weren't enough, it also 
declares war on States' rights when it comes to protecting their 
citizens. The bill would eviscerate the role of the States in the 
siting of LNG facilities and grant sole jurisdiction in such matters to 
the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,

[[Page E1760]]

FERC. This provision flies in the face of the Coastal Zone Management 
Act. CZMA is a unique partnership between coastal States and the 
Federal Government that allows States to protect their own coastal 
resources. This is an especially important law for Connecticut, where 
the commerce that comes from the Long Island Sound fishing grounds, 
ports and recreational area makes it a $5 billion economic asset. 
Because our State's economy depends on the Long Island Sound, we 
believe that the State has the obligation to protect it from possible 
environmental harm.

  Rather than passing this legislation, we ought to be reducing our 
dependence on foreign oil by improving our energy efficiency and 
maximizing our domestic energy production in an environmentally sound 
way--by investing in cleaner, more secure energy sources such as solar, 
wind, biomass and fuel cell technology. My State of Connecticut is a 
leader in fuel cell technology, with several businesses doing research 
that is on the cusp of revolutionizing the way our Nation powers its 
homes, cars and businesses. This bill should be investing in American 
small businesses like Proton Energy in Wallingford, Nxegen in 
Middletown and Danbury's Fuel Cell Energy--companies that already do 
over $300 million worth of fuel cell business and move us closer to 
true energy independence.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill proposes 20th century solutions for 21st 
century energy challenges. It neglects the realities of a changing 
world--that our dependence on foreign oil has real consequences for our 
foreign policy, that the warming of the planet will have a serious 
impact on the lives of all Americans. It ignores our entrepreneurial 
spirit and technological know-how to develop and harness new forms of 
energy. And it ignores the rights of States to look after the interests 
of their citizens.
  America can do better--and deserves better--than this conference 
report. I urge my colleagues to oppose it.

                          ____________________