[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.
____________________