[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 17, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S705-S706]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 3--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. SALAZAR (for himself, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Harkin, Mr. Lugar, Mr. 
Obama, Mr. Hagel, Mr. Dorgan, Mr. Coleman, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Thune, Mr. 
Nelson of Nebraska, Mr. Brownback, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Allard, Mr. Kohl, 
Mr. Menendez, Mr. Tester, Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Brown, Mr. Baucus, Mr. 
Durbin, Mr. Feingold, and Mr. Cochran) submitted the following 
concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry:

                             S. Con. Res. 3

       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 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.


[[Page S706]]


  Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, today Senator Grassley and I, along with 
our colleagues Senators Harkin, Lugar, Obama, Hagel, and others, are 
submitting Senate Concurrent Resolution 3, the ``25x'25'' Resolution, 
as we did last year, 25x'25 is a critical vision for our energy future 
that will help reduce our dependence on foreign oil by building a new 
energy economy here at home. Our resolution establishes a national goal 
of producing 25 percent of America's energy from renewable sources--
like solar, wind and biofuels--by 2025.
  The ``25x'25'' vision is widely endorsed, bold, and fully attainable. 
If implemented, it would dramatically improve our energy security, our 
economy, and our ability to protect the environment.
  I am pleased that more than 20 of my colleagues in the Senate, from 
both sides of the aisle, are cosponsoring this resolution. In addition, 
the ``25x'25'' vision has been endorsed by 22 current and former 
governors and several State legislatures across the country.
  The Big Three automobile manufacturers--Ford, Chrysler, and General 
Motors--are all behind ``25x'25'' So are many agricultural 
organizations, environmental groups, scientists, and businesses, 
ranging from the Farm Bureau and Farmers' Union to the Natural 
Resources Defense Council and John Deere. The breadth of support for 
the ``25x'25'' vision speaks to the extraordinary economic, 
environmental, and national security benefits that its implementation 
will yield. In all, nearly 400 organizations have embraced this vision 
and are working together on a plan to implement it.
  The resolution that Senator Grassley and I are submitting makes the 
``25x'25'' vision a policy goal for our Nation. It sets a challenging 
but realistic target for our legislative and budgetary work on energy. 
Our resolution says that the ingenuity and entrepreneurship of the 
American people should be the engine for a new, clean energy economy.
  I urge every American to join with me and the roughly 400 partner 
organizations that are part of the 25x'25 Alliance to make this goal a 
reality. Results from a recent study conducted by the University of 
Tennessee shows that reaching the 25x'25 goal is achievable. The study 
also shows that 25x'25 would: increase net farm income by $180 billion 
and, including multiplier effects, could result in $700 billion in 
economic activity annually; create approximately 5 million new jobs 
here at home in 2025; save as much as $15 billion in government 
payments.
  America's working people can and should be at the center of our 
energy revolution. Farmers and ranchers in my native San Luis Valley, 
in Sterling, CO, and elsewhere are already leading the way; they are 
building biodiesel plants and ethanol refineries that help power cars, 
tractors, and trucks. They are building wind turbines in Prowers County 
and biomass generators in Jackson County. And they are searching for 
new technologies that will allow them to make even greater 
contributions to our energy supply.
  These Americans understand that we cannot continue to import 60 
percent of our oil from foreign countries, many of which are hostile to 
the United States, if we aim to be strong and secure in the world. They 
know that we will have to build a clean energy economy if we are to 
reduce our dependence on foreign oil.
  A clean energy economy will take root in our farms and fields. It 
will help revitalize a rural America that has been forgotten for too 
long. It will spur our engineers to new developments and designs, and 
it will help establish the U.S. as the world leader in clean energy 
technologies.
  It is time for Congress to take a more active role in our clean 
energy future. Establishing a national goal--``25x'25'' is the first 
step.
  Today, with this resolution, we articulate a common vision for our 
energy policy. It is a target we can hit. It is a target that 
Governors, Senators, Representatives, state legislators, farmers, 
ranchers, entrepreneurs, scientists, and automakers, all wish to 
achieve.
  I am proud to be working with Senator Grassley and others to 
establish ``25x'25'' as our Nation's shared goal for our energy 
security and I look forward to working on a legislative agenda in this 
Congress that will help us reach that target.
  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I rise today to join Senator Salazar in 
introducing 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.
  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.
  The impact of increased energy 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.
  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. And, 
that it's 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 of this effort, and will 
consider supporting us in this goal to produce 25 percent of our energy 
needs from renewable resources by 2025.

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