[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 185 (Wednesday, December 5, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H14161]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       PELOSI BILL WILL MAKE US MORE DEPENDENT ON FOREIGN ENERGY

  (Mr. PETERSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. PETERSON of Pennsylvania. Does the energy bill help Americans who 
are struggling to heat their homes and drive their cars? For affordable 
energy, the answer is no.
  Despite claims to the American public that they will put policies in 
place to achieve energy independence, the Democrats' energy bill will 
not produce a single BTU of energy.
  To achieve energy independence, we must replace imported energy with 
our domestic resources. Unfortunately, the Pelosi bill will make us 
more dependent on foreign energy, not less.
  The Democrat bill relies on much-needed conservation through 
increased CAFE standards 13 years from now, which will change the 
fleet, and the production of 15 percent of our electricity from 
renewables, hardly enough to replace the 13 million barrels of oil we 
import every day.
  If we want to achieve energy security and reduce our dependence on 
foreign energy, we must increase domestic production of oil and gas in 
America's energy-rich areas.
  As American families and small businesses continue to tighten their 
belts to cope with soaring energy costs, Congress should be doing 
everything in their power to relieve this unnecessary burden. Yet today 
the House is taking a step in the opposite direction, increasing our 
dependence on energy from foreign, unstable countries.

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