[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 129 (Thursday, July 31, 2008)]
[House]
[Page H7635]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               AMERICA NEEDS COMPREHENSIVE ENERGY REFORM

  (Mr. LATTA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to represent the ninth largest 
manufacturing district of the United States Congress. Earlier this 
week, I had the pleasure of visiting two manufacturing facilities in my 
district.
  During the visits, the management of each facility told me that the 
number one issue facing them is the rising cost of energy and petroleum 
products.
  Natural gas is a much-needed resource in the manufacturing industry 
to fuel production, in addition to the thousands of petroleum-based 
products that are used to fabricate various goods.
  Without comprehensive energy reform, the price of oil and natural gas 
will continue to rise here in the United States, forcing costs to rise, 
and leaving us at a competitive disadvantage with the rest of the 
world. Foreign manufacturers located in countries such as India and 
China are allowing for exploration and recovery of their domestic 
natural resources that keep their energy prices low.
  The bottom line is that energy equals manufacturing which equals 
jobs. And without comprehensive energy reform, our Nation will continue 
to lose business to these countries and our economy will continue to 
suffer. The time to act is now.

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