[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 78 (Tuesday, May 13, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S4048]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 ENERGY

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, later this morning we will vote on an 
amendment to increase production of American energy, which will help 
lower prices at the pump and create more American jobs. Last year, this 
Congress acted in a bipartisan way to reduce our demand for oil by 
increasing fuel economy standards for cars and trucks and by increasing 
our use of renewable fuels. But no matter how hard we might try, we 
cannot repeal the law of supply and demand. We know we also need to 
increase supply in order to lower gas prices, and that is what our 
amendment does.
  In the short term, it places a 6-month moratorium on deposits to the 
Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which will immediately have an impact on 
domestic supply. It also increases production of American energy right 
here at home by opening a small portion of the Arctic National Wildlife 
Refuge for production and allowing coastal States to decide if they 
want to allow increased production on the Outer Continental Shelf. It 
repeals the moratorium on oil shale development that was included in 
last year's Omnibus appropriations bill, and it would encourage the 
development of coal to liquid, a very promising substitute for 
petroleum products that we can produce right here in America and 
specifically in Kentucky, my home State, with American workers. Our 
amendment would provide grants and loans to accelerate the development 
of advanced batteries that can be used to power the next generation of 
plug-in hybrid vehicles here in America. These measures, coupled with 
the conservation and biofuels measure we supported last year, will 
increase our energy independence and help to bring down gas prices in 
the long term.
  Some say opening new areas for production won't do anything in the 
short term. But remember, if President Clinton had not vetoed 
legislation to open ANWR 13 years ago, more than a million barrels of 
oil would be flowing to American consumers every single day. I believe 
it makes more sense for us to produce these additional barrels here at 
home with American jobs rather than begging OPEC to produce more, as 
some on the other side have advocated.
  I urge my colleagues to consider our long-term energy goals and our 
need for increased energy independence and vote in favor of this 
amendment.
  We can't continue to ignore the No. 1 issue facing American families, 
and further delay is not an option that Americans can afford. Some of 
our friends on the other side of the aisle believe we need to ask OPEC 
to supply more oil, that we ought to be sending even more money and 
jobs to the nations of OPEC. But we take a different approach. Our 
amendment would increase the production right here at home in America. 
While some want to increase OPEC's control over oil supply by refusing 
an increase in American supply, our amendment increases American 
control through American energy and American jobs right here in the 
United States.
  I yield the floor.

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