[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 135 (Friday, December 8, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2138]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    SAVING ENERGY THROUGH RECYCLING

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                            HON. JOE BARTON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 6, 2006

  Mr. BARTON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call attention to 
the energy security issues we face and to highlight the important role 
renewable energy plays in producing reliable electricity and curbing 
demand for power transmission equipment. Given this importance, we must 
continue to support initiatives to improve transmission, increase 
generation nationally and encourage renewable energy and conservation.
  Effective renewable energy policy must include the significant 
invested energy available through greater recycling. Manufacturing 
recycled products requires, on average, 17 times less energy than 
manufacturing the same products from virgin materials. In addition to 
the traditionally understood benefits of recycling as a conservation 
and waste management tool, recycling is becoming increasingly 
understood as an energy source available to combat the Nation's growing 
energy crisis.
  For example, recycling aluminum cans saves 95 percent of the energy 
required to make the same amount of aluminum from its virgin source. 
The amount of lost energy from throwing away aluminum and steel cans, 
plastic PET and glass containers, newsprint and corrugated packaging 
was equivalent to the annual output of 15 medium sized coal power 
plants. Increasing the recycling rate of these commodities by 10 
percent would save enough energy annually to heat 74,350 million 
American homes, provide the required electricity for 2.5 million 
Americans, and save about $771 million in avoid costs for barrels of 
crude oil. As a result, recycling should be an integral component of 
our Nation's energy efficiency strategy.
  The Federal Energy Policy Act of 2005 acknowledged the high invested 
energy content of recyclables. Section 1353 mandated the U.S. Secretary 
of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of Energy, to 
conduct a study to determine and quantify the energy savings achieved 
through the recycling of glass, paper, plastic, steel, aluminum, and 
electronic devices, and to identify tax incentives that would encourage 
recycling of such materials. As chairman of the House Energy and 
Commerce Committee, I was deeply involved in the creation of this 
legislation, which I am proud to say was achieved with strong 
bipartisan participation and support.
  The Environmental Protection Agency has shown that recycling saves 
billions in energy costs and hundreds of millions of tons of raw 
materials. American companies that engage in the use of renewable 
resources and recyclable materials are already contributing countless 
billions of dollars per year to our Nation's energy grid. These 
companies are engaging in practices that are environmentally friendly 
and energy conservative.
  By harvesting the invested energy in recycling, this country saves 
tens of millions of tons of ore, coal, trees and billions of dollars in 
energy costs. Recycling programs offer a means to conserve natural 
resources, ease the burden on the grid, reduce excessive municipal 
waste, protect the environment, create jobs, and save energy.
  Like the energy drawn from wind or from water behind a dam, 
recyclable materials contain a vast amount of energy that is available 
to be harvested. Recyclables possess invested energy, and in order to 
remain competitive, we must focus on capturing the energy that is 
already invested in recycling. Through recognition of these policy 
objectives, we will create the most efficient market-based solutions to 
ensure a safe, abundant, and stable energy supply to our citizens for 
years to come.




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