[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 52 (Monday, March 26, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3732-S3735]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 ENERGY

  Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I come to the Senate floor to speak about 
the issue of energy and the importance of this Senate and this Congress 
and this country moving forward with an authentic picture with respect 
to energy independence for our country. When I get up in the morning 
and think about the major issues that are facing our country, there are 
three issues which always come to mind.
  The first is what is happening in Iraq and around the world and how 
we restore America's greatness and how we put Humpty Dumpty together 
again with respect to making sure America's greatness which we have 
enjoyed for the last two centuries is something we enjoy in the 21st 
century and beyond.
  Second are the difficult and important domestic issues which we are 
attempting to confront today--the issue of health care and how we move 
forward to create a system of health insurance and health care 
availability for all the people of America, an issue which continues to 
confront us.
  Third, the issue of energy and how we look forward. The issue of 
energy is something many of us in this Chamber and in the House of 
Representatives and the White House today will continue to work on, 
which is so important to all of us.
  With respect to Iraq, we will be facing that issue here in the weeks 
and months ahead. I believe strongly there is unity in the United 
States of America in terms of our support for our troops. I believe 
there is a long-term desire for us to make sure what we do is establish 
stability in the Middle East.
  I believe all of us want to make sure we are doing everything we can 
do to support our troops. Nonetheless, the debate will occur here on 
this floor this week and beyond. It is an important debate. It is a 
debate that involves perhaps the most important issue of our time. That 
is the issue of war and peace and the debate that is certainly 
appropriate to be held on the floor of the Senate.
  With respect to health care, I am pleased with the efforts the Senate 
Finance Committee and the HELP Committee are undertaking, with the 
leadership of Senator Baucus and Senator Kennedy and others, as we try 
to address the issue of health care. This year for sure we will move 
forward with a program that hopefully will expand the coverage of 
health insurance to the children of America. We think about 9 million 
children in this country today who have no health insurance. The 
expansion of the SCHIP program is something that is very important for 
all of these children across our many States who today do not have 
health insurance.
  But the other issue, the energy issue, is one which is winding its 
way through our various committees in the Senate today. In the 
Agriculture Committee, under the leadership of Senator Tom Harkin, we 
currently are looking at title 9 of the farm bill. We will have a 
robust law that will move us forward with a new agenda with respect to 
agriculture and energy.
  In the Senate Energy Committee, under the leadership of Senators 
Bingaman and Domenici, we are working on several bills that will help 
us move forward toward energy independence.
  In the Senate Finance Committee, under the leadership of Senator 
Baucus and Senator Grassley, we have numerous initiatives on the table 
that will create incentives for us to have the kind of biofuels, solar 
energy, and the other kinds of energy that will create the new 
environment for us to be successful in a program on energy 
independence.
  For me, when I think about energy, I see the dawning of a new age for 
my State of Colorado and also for America. It is a dawning of an age 
for America which we ought to embrace with vigor. It is the dawning of 
the age of a clean energy future for the United States of America. One 
year ago in my State I hosted the first Colorado Renewable Energy 
Summit. At the summit, there were more than 500 of us brought together 
to talk about our national energy policy and the energy opportunities 
we face in my State.
  We put renewable energy in the headlines for Colorado, and we have 
kept energy at the top of Colorado's agenda for the past year. This 
last Saturday, 2 days ago, on March 24, 2007, we again summoned the 
people of Colorado and we had over 1,000 people who attended a summit 
at the Colorado Convention Center. We were joined in that summit by my 
colleague Senator Wayne Allard, by Colorado Governor Ritter, the mayor, 
six Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, the president of the 
Colorado Senate, the speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives 
and, as I said, more than 1,000 people in my State who were interested 
in renewable energy and energy efficiency, not only for our State but 
for the entire country.
  Because of the work we have taken on in the last year in Colorado, 
today we have a Colorado Renewable Energy collaboration. That 
laboratory is an incredible association with the National Renewable 
Energy Lab, the Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State University, 
and the University of Colorado at Boulder.
  Even though the ink is not yet dry on the formation of the 
collaboration, these four great research institutions have already 
launched a world-class research program. It is called the Colorado 
Center for Bioresearch and Biofuels.
  Colorado's private sector is moving forward, too, on a variety of 
different fronts. First, with respect to wind, Colorado has added over 
60 megawatts of wind generation in the last 4 years. But consider what 
is on the agenda for 2007. In 2007, my State of Colorado will add 
another 775 megawatts. That is more than tripling the State's 
production of wind generation. That is an equivalent of the generation 
we get from approximately two full-fledged powerplants.

[[Page S3733]]

  Beyond wind, we have embraced solar. Since the passage of a citizens' 
initiative in Colorado 2 years ago, Colorado's solar industries have 
seen a growth of 40 percent every year. The State's first commercial 
solar electricity project will be constructed in my native San Luis 
Valley in 2007. We moved from wind to solar to biodiesel. In 2004, 
there was no biodiesel produced in the State of Colorado. Today we have 
three plants in my State that are producing more than 30 million 
gallons a year, and a fourth plant is ready to start operations in the 
production of biodiesel.
  We go beyond biodiesel to ethanol. Two years ago we had no ethanol 
plants in the State of Colorado. Today we have three ethanol plants 
that are producing 90 million gallons of ethanol, and we have a fourth 
plant that will come on line in 2007, adding 50 million more gallons 
per year, and several other plants that are in the planning stages.
  That is not all. In my State of Colorado, we have moved forward with 
wind energy companies, with solar, photovoltaic designers, and 
manufacturers who are opening facilities in places such as Larimer 
County. Cellulosic ethanol companies, which are engaged in research and 
development, inform us within 2 years they will be at a point where 
cellulosic ethanol will be available in the commercial markets.
  We have hybrid vehicle manufacturers who are doing the technology 
development and research in my State, hybrid and plug-in vehicle 
battery manufacturers, engine efficiency research companies, such as 
German manufacturers in El Paso County and Colorado Springs.
  There is a whole lot more that is happening with respect to clean 
renewable energy in my State of Colorado. We have a long road ahead of 
us, but we have found our stride and we know the destination. We want 
America to be the world's center for renewable energy research, for 
development and for production. I want my State to play a significant 
role as we embrace that agenda.
  Let's be clear about what is happening with respect to energy in the 
United States of America. Some of us need to remind ourselves it was 
not so long ago when President Nixon and then President Carter later on 
said we needed to embrace a new ethic of energy independence. This was 
in the 1970s, some 35, 40, 45 years ago when we were talking about the 
importance of energy independence, frankly, because of the economics 
that were driving it at the time. There was great concern with respect 
to the formation of OPEC and with respect to the volatility of markets 
that could disrupt the American economy.

  We see what happened in response to the leadership in the 1970s where 
there were great investments made in technologies that would look at 
alternative fuels that would power our homes and cars in this country. 
But the driver of economics went away when the price of oil dropped to 
around $20, $21, $22, $23 per barrel. Over this last year, we saw the 
price of oil get up to $60 and $70 per barrel, and we saw the price of 
a gallon come up to $3 a gallon, in some places more than $3.50, $3.60 
a gallon, the price of diesel following the same path. It became 
apparent at the time the economic driver was not the only significant 
driver here.
  Mr. President, may I inquire as to the amount of time we have in 
morning business?
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. We have 7\1/2\ minutes remaining.
  Mr. SALAZAR. May I inquire of my friend from West Virginia as to 
whether he planned on using any of the time in morning business.
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I do have an amendment, and I will speak to 
that amendment.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. If the Senator from West Virginia 
does have not objection, we will allow the Senator from Colorado to 
finish his remarks, and then we will recognize the Senator from West 
Virginia.
  Mr. BYRD. Very well.
  Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, so I am clear on my time, I have about 7 
minutes in morning business allocated to me under the current order?
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. That is correct.
  Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, let me continue with respect to the 
comments I was making concerning the issue of energy.
  If you think about the 1970s and the 1980s, it was the economy that 
was at the root of what we were trying to do to develop solar energy 
and wind energy and looking at biofuels and the like. A lot has changed 
in those times. There is tremendous interest and a tremendous amount of 
energy being spent in each of our committees here in the Senate and the 
House of Representatives and in the White House and the Department of 
Energy on a clean energy future for America.
  Some people will ask the question today: Well, is this another short-
lived agenda in the same way it was in the 1970s and the 1980s? When 
you look at the charts and you see what we were investing in clean 
energy technology back in the 1970s and 1980s, it was significantly 
higher than what we are investing in the 1980s and the 1990s and the 
early 2000s.
  I submit that things have changed because the drivers today are not 
only the economic drivers of our time. Today when we look at the energy 
issues we face in our world, it is not just about the volatility of the 
energy markets we see around the world and here in the United States, 
there are two other drivers that are equally as important. The first of 
those drivers has to be our national security. When you think about the 
fact that today we are importing about 60 percent of our oil from 
foreign countries, in the next 10 to 15 years, if projections continue 
the way they are, and growth continues the way it is expected to 
continue, we will be importing 70 percent of our oil from foreign 
countries.
  If that occurs, then we will continue to compromise the foreign 
policy, the national security of this Nation in a manner none of us 
should ever allow to happen. In fact, it would be a dereliction of duty 
for this Congress, for the Senate, and for this country to allow that 
to happen.
  In the latest skirmish with Israel and Lebanon, one has to ask the 
question about where that money was coming from that was funding the 
militia group of Hezbollah in its firing of nearly 10,000 rockets into 
the northern city of Haifa in northern Israel. One has to ask that 
question, where was the money coming from that would fund the 10,000 
members of that militia group called Hezbollah in Lebanon and other 
places around the world?
  Well, we do not need to look very far for the answer to that 
question. You and I know--you as the Presiding Officer are well aware 
of the security interests here in our country--very well that the money 
creating and funding the terrorist groups in places such as Lebanon is 
coming from oil. It is coming from oil we are paying $60 and $70 a 
barrel for today.
  So the very national security of our country requires us, it demands 
of us, and we can do no less than to move forward with an agenda that 
grasps the imperative of energy independence in our world. That energy 
independence will come about with great opportunities as we look at a 
clean energy future for America. We will be able to derive jobs and 
create the kind of national economic security we need in the United 
States of America.
  The final driver is the issue of global warming. The debate is about 
whether global warming is an issue that needs to be confronted in the 
United States of America, the debate that was being held several years 
ago. But I would imagine most people in the United States of America 
today are saying it is important for us to confront this issue.
  In fact, as we are opening this day in the Senate, Senator Bingaman 
and Senator Domenici are holding a hearing with members of the European 
Union on the issue of global warming. Things have changed. Things have 
changed from the 1970s and the 1980s and the 1990s when America slept, 
and the only factor that was driving us to energy independence was the 
volatility of the markets.
  Today the driver is national security. We cannot afford to compromise 
our national security by continuing to be overdependent, by continuing 
our current addiction to foreign oil. We cannot afford to ignore the 
issue of global warming that threatens the future of civilization. How 
we approach those issues and how we develop solutions that bring us to 
a positive movement forward is very important.

[[Page S3734]]

  The issue of energy is one that can bring America together. To be 
sure, the last 6 years have seen a divided America on many issues, 
including Iraq. Energy can bring together Democrats and Republicans, 
progressives and conservatives, much as the Energy Futures Coalition 
has done in working with all of us. We crafted legislation that we call 
Set America Free. It is my hope that by the time the Senate finishes 
for the year or before we begin the August recess, we will have 
legislation that is bipartisan in nature, that will move us forward 
with a new energy future for America. That energy future will be one 
that is bound by a vision of a clean energy future that includes 
renewable energies, new technologies, and that goes after the low-
hanging fruit of energy efficiency and addresses the issue of global 
warming.
  I ask unanimous consent that a portion of a speech I gave at an 
energy summit in Colorado be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                    Colorado New Energy Summit--2007

       This is the dawning of a new age for Colorado and America--
     this is the dawning of the age of America's clean energy 
     future!
       One year ago, we hosted the first Colorado renewable energy 
     summit. That 2006 Summit brought more than 500 of us together 
     to talk about our national energy policy and Colorado's 
     energy opportunities. We put renewable energy in the 
     headlines for Colorado, and we've kept energy at the top of 
     Colorado's agenda for the past year.
       This Saturday, March 24, 2007, over one thousand people 
     from Colorado joined us for Colorado's New Energy Summit. We 
     were joined by two United States Senators, the Colorado 
     Governor, the Mayor of Denver, six Members of the U.S. House 
     of Representatives, the President of the Colorado Senate, the 
     Speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives . . . and 
     more than one thousand Coloradans who want more renewable 
     energy, improved energy efficiency, and greater energy 
     independence.
       One year ago, we talked about attracting more energy 
     research projects and more energy entrepreneurs to Colorado. 
     Today, we have the Colorado Renewable Energy Collaboratory, 
     an incredible association of the National Renewable Energy 
     Lab, the Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State University 
     and the University of Colorado at Boulder. And even though 
     the ink is not yet dry on the Collaboratory Agreement, these 
     four great research institutions have already launched a 
     world class research program: the Colorado Center for 
     Biorefining and Biofuels--C2B2.
       And Colorado's private clean energy sector is taking off, 
     too.
     Wind
       Colorado has added 60 megawatts of wind capacity in the 
     last two years.
       And by the end of 2007, we will add another 775 megawatts, 
     more than tripling the State's production of wind power to 
     more than 1,000 megawatts.
     Solar
       Since the passage of Amendment 37, Colorado's solar rooftop 
     industries have seen growth of 40% per year.
       And the State's first commercial solar electricity project 
     will be constructed in the San Luis Valley in 2007.
     Biodiesel
       In 2004, there was no biodiesel produced in Colorado.
       Today, we have three plants producing more than 30 million 
     gallons a year, and a fourth plant ready to start operations.
     Ethanol
       Two years ago, there were no ethanol plants in Colorado.
       Today, three plants produce more than 90 million gallons 
     per year, and a fourth plant will come on line in 2007, 
     adding another 50 million gallons per year.
       And that's not all. We have locally based:
       Wind energy companies
       Solar photovoltaic designers and manufacturers
       Cellulosic ethanol companies, engaged in R&D and preparing 
     to build biorefineries
       Hybrid vehicle manufacturers
       Hybrid and plug-in vehicle battery manufacturers
       Engine efficiency research companies
       And that's only the beginning.
       Colorado's clean, renewable energy economy is on the move.
       We have got a long road ahead of us, but we have found our 
     stride and we know our destination: Colorado will be the 
     world's center for renewable energy research, development and 
     production.


                      america's energy challenges

       We have come a long way in the past year, and we should be 
     proud, but we must be realistic about the energy challenges 
     that face us as a Nation and world.


                    energy security and independence

       First, energy policy is at the heart of our national 
     security. The United States continues to import much more oil 
     than we produce. Nearly two-thirds of our oil supplies come 
     from abroad. And much of that oil, comes from unstable and 
     even politically hostile regions. Our deep dependence on 
     foreign oil means that our national security is constantly at 
     risk. Our oil supply lines are long and fragile. Even worse, 
     our dependence on foreign oil means that we're sending 
     hundreds of billions of dollars overseas, much of which flows 
     to regimes that are hostile or corrupt or both. Indeed, we 
     are funding the very regimes that threaten our interests. It 
     is foolish to think we can control our Nation's security if 
     we can't control our energy lifelines.
       It may be decades before we get the majority of liquid 
     transportation fuels from renewable sources, but that doesn't 
     mean renewables can't make a significant difference 
     immediately. We produced nearly five billion gallons of 
     ethanol in 2006, biodiesel is on the rise and cellulosic 
     biofuels will be in commercial production by 2009. We can 
     also look to other current or emerging technologies--hybrids 
     and plug-in electrics--to reduce our thirst for oil.
       There are a lot of good reasons to turn to renewable 
     energy, but I start with this one: the most effective step to 
     increase our national security in the twenty-first century is 
     to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.


                   Energy and Economic Sustainability

       The second energy challenge that we face is economic. We're 
     not going to run out of oil any time soon, but we're going to 
     run out of cheap oil. Oil from new reserves and alternative 
     sources, like the deep Gulf of Mexico reserves and Canadian 
     tar sands, will cost much more to find, to extract and to 
     refine. On top of increased costs, we are going to see 
     increasing competition from the rapidly growing economies qf 
     China and India and other developing nations. That means 
     demand pressures on top of supply pressures.
       And it is not just our cars and trucks that run on oil--
     much of our current economy depends on oil and natural gas. 
     We heat with it, we produce lubricants and fertilizers and 
     commercial chemicals with it, and we make plastics and fibers 
     and construction materials from it. The economic 
     competitiveness of our economy will be determined in 
     substantial part by how we cope with increasing energy costs. 
     In coming decades, those economies that develop reliable, 
     affordable sources of energy will thrive. Those economies 
     that remain dependent on imported oil and gas will suffer.
       But, there is also an economic opportunity. There is money 
     to be made in creating new energy technologies, and there is 
     money to be made in using them. America has led the world in 
     developing renewable energy technologies, but we have lost 
     much of our advantage because other nations have been much 
     better at implementing those technologies. Solar energy, wind 
     energy, biofuels--most of these technologies were originally 
     developed here, but other nations have surpassed us in 
     manufacturing or implementing these technologies. We should 
     admire the Japanese and the Germans for their solar 
     photovoltaics, the Israelis for concentrating on solar power, 
     the Danes and Germans for their advances in wind technology, 
     and the Brazilians for their ethanol, but there is no reason 
     for us to import their technology when we can manufacture 
     this equipment right here in America.


                        Energy and Rural America

       I believe our economic future depends on our ability to 
     create the energy technologies of tomorrow.
       Nowhere is this more true than in rural America. With the 
     advent of new energy technologies--including biofuels, wind 
     and solar--rural America can become not only our food basket, 
     but also our energy basket. At a time when we have record 
     trade deficits and much of rural America is struggling 
     economically, we should be investing in renewable energy from 
     our farms and ranches instead of importing foreign oil.
       And let me point out that all our energy does not have to 
     come from 500 megawatt electric power plants or 100 million 
     gallon a year ethanol plants. Big centralized plants will 
     always have their place, but much of our energy can come from 
     smaller production plants, whether it's a small wind farm or 
     a community-owned biodiesel plant. Distributed generation of 
     electricity and biofuels will play a major role in our energy 
     future, and much of that energy production will benefit rural 
     America, both by creating new sources of income and by 
     reducing the cost of locally produced and locally used 
     energy.


                             global warming

       The two drivers of national security and economic 
     challenges and opportunities drive us toward a renewable 
     energy and energy efficiency future. But there is a third 
     driver, just as compelling: global warming. Average 
     temperatures are rising, glaciers and sea ice are melting, 
     and the overwhelming majority of scientists agree that our 
     use of fossil fuels is a significant part of the problem.
       There is no single solution to this crisis, no silver 
     bullet. But there are lots of options that will contribute to 
     a solution, including technologies and investments that 
     increase energy efficiency and conservation. Currently 
     available technologies, like fuel-efficient cars and compact 
     fluorescent light bulbs, reduce energy consumption. Biofuels 
     replace billions of gallons of gasoline and diesel, and 
     biofuels reduce the net amount of greenhouse gas emissions 
     because next year's crop will capture the emissions from this 
     year's fuels. Once installed, solar and wind technologies 
     produce electricity without generating any carbon dioxide.
       And new technologies may enable us to use some fossil fuels 
     without contributing to

[[Page S3735]]

     global warming. IGCC--integrated gasification combined 
     cycle--power plants, for example, may allow us to capture the 
     carbon dioxide in coal before it is released to the 
     atmosphere, so that the CO2 can be used or can be 
     sequestered deep underground.
       With creativity and commitment, there are many actions that 
     we can take that will substantially reduce greenhouse gas 
     emissions and help to turn the tide of global warming.
       Countless generations of human beings have in my State 
     enjoyed this beautiful planet. But it is not certain that our 
     grandchildren and great grandchildren will be able to enjoy 
     snowcapped peaks, mountain streams, Colorado skiing, lush 
     green forests and fields of grain. If we want them to see and 
     enjoy Colorado's beauty and enjoy our State's natural 
     resources, then we need to act--now. And what is true for 
     Colorado is true for the Nation. Those of us who walk the 
     Earth today are not solely responsible for the fact of global 
     warming--the roots of this crisis go back to the Industrial 
     Revolution--but it falls to us to do something about it. We 
     must not fail.
       The three great energy challenges that confront us at the 
     dawn of the 21st century are daunting--national security, 
     economic sustainability and the future of our planet. But we 
     know we can and will confront these challenges. And part of 
     the solution to each of these challenges lies in renewable 
     energy and efficiency and other clean energy technologies. 
     For the past 25 years, America has lacked the consistent 
     political leadership and public commitment to pursue these 
     new technologies, but their time has come and today we can 
     unite America in the spirit of bipartisanship to confront 
     these challenges.


                       State and local leadership

       Much of the leadership in the areas of renewable energy and 
     energy efficiency has come from local and state efforts. In 
     November, 2004, the people of Colorado were the first in the 
     Nation to enact a renewable energy standard by popular vote 
     with the adoption of Amendment 37. Our General Assembly and 
     our new Governor have taken up the baton and carried it 
     forward with exciting new programs that will expand wind and 
     solar power in Colorado. Other states have done the same.


                      Energy in the 110th Congress

       So I applaud and encourage this kind of state and local 
     leadership, but the ultimate success of our new energy policy 
     and our new energy economy will also require national 
     leadership in this 110th Congress.
       I am proud to be a sponsor, with Senator Chuck Grassley, of 
     Senate Concurrent Resolution 3 to adopt 25 25 as a national 
     goal. Many of you know about this initiative. The goal is to 
     produce 25% of our total energy needs from our farms, ranches 
     and forests by the year 2025. Independent studies confirm we 
     can achieve that goal. 25 25 makes economic sense. Achieving 
     this goal will yield over 700 billion dollars in economic 
     activity and create more than 4 million new jobs. A 
     combination of energy conservation, energy efficiency and 
     renewable energy can get us to our goal. We should establish 
     the 25 25 resolution this Congress.
       As a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, I am also 
     working on the 2007 Farm Bill with Senator Tom Harkin and my 
     colleagues on that Committee. This new Farm Bill will include 
     an expanded Energy Title that will create new programs and 
     build upon existing programs to make the goal of 25 25 
     achievable. Just two weeks ago, Senator Harkin, Chairman of 
     the Agriculture Committee, traveled to Colorado for two 
     purposes: to visit NREL and to hold a Committee hearing on 
     the Farm Bill. Senator Harkin and I agree that good farm 
     policy means good energy policy in this new world.
       I am also enthused by Senator Max Baucus and my colleagues 
     on the Finance Committee as we do our part to address the 
     energy challenges of our time. I have introduced a series of 
     bills that will help us I produce more renewable energy, 
     adopt more energy efficient technologies and combat global 
     warming.
       Senate Bill 672 is the Rural Community Energy Bonds Act. I 
     support our big wind farms, but we need a lot of small wind 
     farms, too, and we need a lot of small biomass and solar and 
     other renewable energy projects. This bill will allow small 
     renewable energy projects with at least 49 percent local 
     ownership to qualify for tax-exempt bonds. That will make it 
     easier for locally and community owned renewable energy 
     projects in rural and small town America to find investors. 
     And local ownership means that more of the profits from those 
     projects will stay on Main Street in Colorado's small towns.
       I have also introduced the Rural Wind Energy Development 
     Act, Senate Bill 673. This bill will create a tax credit for 
     every residential wind turbine installed and will also allow 
     for accelerated depreciation on those turbines. For turbines 
     under 100 kilowatts, there's a tax credit of $1,500 for each 
     half-kilowatt of generating capacity. As I said earlier, we 
     need more distributed generation, and this bill will help us 
     develop it.
       I am also working on several other bills to encourage 
     renewable energy production and energy efficiency 
     investments. The Securing America's Energy Independence Act 
     will extend the energy tax credit for solar technologies and 
     for residential energy efficiency improvements through 2016. 
     If we want manufacturers to build these technologies and we 
     want homeowners to buy them, we need to create reliable 
     incentives that encourage planning and investment.
       I am also proud to co-sponsor the DRIVE Act with Senator 
     Bingaman and nearly 30 co-sponsors, with equal numbers of 
     Republicans and Democrats. The Drive Act stands for 
     Dependence Reduction through Innovation in Vehicles and 
     Energy. This bill, Senate Bill 339, and other related 
     legislation, will reduce oil consumption by 25% by 2025, 
     impose Federal fleet conservation requirements, support 
     research on electric vehicles, require the Federal government 
     to purchase 15% of its electricity from renewable sources by 
     2015, and would phase-out incandescent light bulbs in favor 
     of more energy efficient technologies. I am hopeful that this 
     bill will pass in this Congress.
       I'm also working with other members of the Senate Energy 
     and Natural Resources Committee to draft a bill to require 
     the use of 30 billion gallons of renewable fuels by 2020, to 
     increase the funding for bioenergy research and development, 
     and to offer financial support for renewable fuel production 
     facilities, including cellulosic biofuel plants and 
     biorefineries.
       We should all recognize that we are going to be dependent 
     on fossil fuels for a significant portion of our energy for 
     the next several decades, so I'm sponsoring legislation to 
     conduct a national assessment of our carbon sequestration 
     capacity. As we continue to burn fossil fuels, we must find a 
     way to reduce the volume of carbon dioxide released into the 
     atmosphere. IGCC technology can achieve its promise only if 
     we can effectively sequester the carbon dioxide that's 
     captured.


                               Conclusion

       Together, the 110th Congress can lead our State and our 
     Nation to a new energy future.

  Mr. SALAZAR. I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Klobuchar). The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. BYRD. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________