[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 71 (Wednesday, June 7, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5605-S5606]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 97--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF CONGRESS THAT 
  IT IS THE GOAL OF THE UNITED STATES THAT, NOT LATER THAN JANUARY 1, 
2025, THE AGRICULTURAL, FORESTRY, AND WORKING LAND OF THE UNITED STATES 
SHOULD PROVIDE FROM RENEWABLE RESOURCES NOT LESS THAN 25 PERCENT OF THE 
  TOTAL ENERGY CONSUMED IN THE UNITED STATES AND CONTINUE TO PRODUCE 
          SAFE, ABUNDANT, AND AFFORDABLE FOOD, FEED, AND FIBER

  Mr. GRASSLEY (for himself, Mr. Salazar, Mr. Lugar, Mr. Harkin, Mr. 
DeWine, Mr. Obama, Mr. Hagel, Mr. Dorgan, Mr. Coleman, Mr. Kerry, Mr. 
Talent, Mr. Nelson of Nebraska, Mr. Thune, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Kohl, and 
Mr. Johnson) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry:
  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a concurrent 
resolution which expresses the goal of the United States to provide 25 
percent of the Nation's energy needs from renewable resources by 2025. 
I am pleased to be joined in this effort by Senators Salazar, Lugar, 
Harkin, DeWine and Obama.
  The goal of this 25 by 25 resolution is quite simple: to replace 25 
percent of our total energy needs with renewable resources like wind, 
hydropower, solar, geothermal, biomass and biofuels by 2025. This is a 
bold goal, but given our current energy situation in the U.S., it is a 
necessary goal.
  In the past few years, we have seen the price of crude oil skyrocket 
from $25 a barrel to nearly $75 a barrel. This has caused prices at the 
pump to escalate beyond $3 a gallon. Natural gas, used for electricity 
generation and industrial uses, has hovered above $6 per million BTU's, 
while hitting over $15 following the devastating hurricanes along the 
gulf coast.
  The impact of these increased prices is being felt around the country 
by working families, farmers, businesses and industries. The increased 
cost for energy at the pump, in home heating and for industrial uses 
has the potential to jeopardize our economic security and vitality.
  And, because we are dependent upon foreign countries for over 60 
percent of our crude oil, our dependence is a threat to our national 
security. President Bush heightened the awareness of the problem by 
stating in his 2006 State of the Union Address that we are addicted to 
foreign oil. He highlighted as his goal to reduce our dependence on oil 
from the Middle East by 75 percent by 2025.
  Our effort with this concurrent resolution is to signal to America's 
farmers, ranchers and forestry industry, that we believe they have the 
ability and resources to generate 25 percent of our energy needs. An 
that it is in our economic and national security interest to do so.
  There are many inherent virtues in producing our own domestic energy 
from renewable resources. It is good for our environment. It is good 
for our national and economic security. It will provide an economic 
boost for our rural economies. And perhaps most importantly, it will 
ensure a stable, secure, domestic supply of affordable energy.
  Already, our farmers and ranchers are working hard to use their 
resources to produce electricity from wind, biomass and other 
agricultural wastes. In addition, corn, soybeans and other crops are 
being used to produce transportation fuels like ethanol and biodiesel. 
It is evident that rural America has the drive to achieve this goal.
  While this concurrent resolution states our renewable energy goal, it 
does not prescribe a way to achieve the goal. Rather, it recognizes the 
benefit of implementing supportive policies and incentives to stimulate 
the development and use of renewable energy. It also identifies the 
benefits of technological improvements to the cost and market appeal of 
renewable energy. The supporters of this goal commit to support 
sensible policies and proper incentives to work toward the goal.
  I am hopeful that my colleagues will recognize the importance and 
timeliness of this effort, and will consider supporting us in this goal 
to produce 25 percent of our energy needs from renewable resources by 
2025.
  There being no objection, the text of the concurrent resolution was 
ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:

                            S. Con. Res. 97

       Whereas the United States has a quantity of renewable 
     energy resources that is sufficient to supply a significant 
     portion of the energy needs of the United States;
       Whereas the agricultural, forestry, and working land of the 
     United States can help ensure a sustainable domestic energy 
     system;
       Whereas accelerated development and use of renewable energy 
     technologies provide numerous benefits to the United States, 
     including improved national security, improved balance of 
     payments, healthier rural economies, improved environmental 
     quality, and abundant, reliable, and affordable energy for 
     all citizens of the United States;
       Whereas the production of transportation fuels from 
     renewable energy would help the United States meet rapidly 
     growing domestic and global energy demands, reduce the 
     dependence of the United States on energy imported from 
     volatile regions of the world

[[Page S5606]]

     that are politically unstable, stabilize the cost and 
     availability of energy, and safeguard the economy and 
     security of the United States;
       Whereas increased energy production from domestic renewable 
     resources would attract substantial new investments in energy 
     infrastructure, create economic growth, develop new jobs for 
     the citizens of the United States, and increase the income 
     for farm, ranch, and forestry jobs in the rural regions of 
     the United States;
       Whereas increased use of renewable energy is practical and 
     can be cost effective with the implementation of supportive 
     policies and proper incentives to stimulate markets and 
     infrastructure; and
       Whereas public policies aimed at enhancing renewable energy 
     production and accelerating technological improvements will 
     further reduce energy costs over time and increase market 
     demand: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that it is the 
     goal of the United States that, not later than January 1, 
     2025, the agricultural, forestry, and working land of the 
     United States should provide from renewable resources not 
     less than 25 percent of the total energy consumed in the 
     United States and continue to produce safe, abundant, and 
     affordable food, feed, and fiber.

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