[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 147 (Tuesday, November 8, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S12534]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. STEVENS:
  S. 1977. A bill to repeal section 5 of the Marine Mammal Protection 
Act of 1972; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I come to the floor to introduce this 
bill, which repeals a provision in the 1977 reauthorization of the 
Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972--a provision which unduly 
restricts our ability to get States on the west coast the petroleum 
supplies they need.
  In the last several weeks, some of our colleagues have participated 
in press conferences, sent out news releases, and come to the floor to 
talk about the impact of high energy prices. They have expressed 
concern about the effect these prices are having on our economy, our 
consumers, our businesses, and our national security.
  I share their concerns. In fact, for over 3 years, I have been urging 
the Senate to deal with this situation.
  It took one of the worst natural disasters in the history of our 
Nation for many to evaluate our energy policy. While the circumstances 
are tragic, I am glad our colleagues are taking a closer look at this.
  The plan our colleagues now support aims to achieve the right goal, 
but it offers the wrong solution. Their plan calls for energy 
independence--a goal which I support. But they tout conservation as the 
only way to reach this goal. This approach would put us on the wrong 
course and fail to solve the larger problem.
  Our country is in the midst of an energy crisis, and we cannot 
conserve our way out. To suggest otherwise does a great disservice to 
all Americans. We don't need a hollow plan, we need results.
  We cannot get out of this crisis by blaming Americans--who are just 
trying to live their lives, run their businesses, and get to and from 
work--for the situation we are in. This is not solely a consumption 
problem; much of this crisis stems from misguided policies which have 
locked up our lands and prevented us from building new refineries.
  The only way to become energy independent is through a combination of 
initiatives. Conservation is one part of the broader solution.
  But we also need to develop renewable and alternative sources of 
energy and invest in nuclear power and we must develop our domestic oil 
and gas resources which exist on Federal lands.
  The end to this crisis lies in the balance between conservation and 
development. Yes, I believe that Americans need to conserve our energy 
resources, but this alone won't solve our energy crisis. To suggest it 
will is to greatly mislead the American public.
  We need to get serious about our energy policy.
  My good friend and colleague, Senator Domenici, has told us we must 
expand on the Energy bill.
  I agree with Senator Domenici, and I look forward to working with him 
on an energy policy for this country that makes sense.
  Hurricanes Katrina and Rita exposed a weakness in our domestic 
production and refining capability, weakness some of us have been 
warning about for years. All Americans have been hit with higher energy 
prices in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
  Some colleagues have expressed concern that this situation was 
compounded by price gouging. Senator Inouye and I, along with our 
colleagues on the Commerce Committee, are evaluating several bills 
pertaining to that issue. In the coming days, we will be moving forward 
to address some of those concerns.
  In the process of reviewing these concerns, the claims by those on 
the west coast were of particular interest to me. Due to current 
restrictions in the MMPA, it is almost impossible for companies to 
expand their refineries to increase supply. The provision repealed by 
my bill is currently impacting the largest refinery on the west coast, 
affecting more than 300,000 gallons of fuel per day.
  I introduce this bill to enable us to get petroleum resources to west 
coast States quickly and urge my colleagues to support this initiative.

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