[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 122 (Thursday, July 24, 2008)]
[House]
[Page H7064]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             NUCLEAR ENERGY

  (Mr. BARRETT of South Carolina asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BARRETT of South Carolina. Madam Speaker, in the past few weeks 
the focus of the energy crisis conversation has been about lifting the 
offshore ban on drilling to increase oil and gas supplies in the U.S., 
and offshore drilling is one solution that can help ease the energy 
crisis and lower gas prices at the pump.
  However, there's also been talk about using alternative energy 
sources to solve our energy problems for the long term. The Department 
of Energy found that in the United States 103 nuclear units supply 
about 20 percent of the electricity produced here in the United States.
  And in my home State of South Carolina, 52 percent of our State's 
power comes from nuclear power plants. For years, I've worked with 
organizations and companies within South Carolina to promote the 
benefits of nuclear power. Nuclear is clean, safe, and it's accessible 
in our country.
  Nuclear energy is an alternative energy source that our country can 
use to create long-term energy solutions for generations to come. It's 
a real solution that, if we invest now, will help us bridge from a 
short-term solution to a long-term solution.

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