[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 142 (Tuesday, September 9, 2008)]
[House]
[Page H7939]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                WE NEED NUCLEAR POWER AND WE NEED IT NOW

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bachus) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, when I visited my district in August, people 
had one thing on their mind and one thing only, and that was the high 
gas prices, exactly, what a hardship they were on the people of 
Alabama, and I think people throughout the Nation.
  One of my constituents in Bibb County, Alabama, handed me at a 
townhall meeting his gas receipt. As you can see, he paid $90, $89 to 
fill up his truck. Now, Bibb County, Alabama, the average resident of 
that county makes $312 gross a week. Now, imagine a county where the 
average income is $312. Now, further imagine that 59 percent of people 
in that county commute out of town to work; 59 percent of them have to 
drive 40 and 50 miles to work every day. And they're like this 
gentleman, $90 a day out of a paycheck of less than $300.
  They told me of stories of how they pay their gas bill, they struggle 
to pay their rent or their mortgage, they struggle to put food on the 
table, they struggle with all sorts of financial hardships. Is it any 
wonder that 9 percent of the people in this country are behind on their 
mortgage when they're putting hundreds of dollars on their gas bills?
  They're also angry about something else. They're angry because we're 
not doing anything about it. Not only is this money coming out of the 
United States and out of our citizens' pockets, but let me tell you 
where it's going.
  I recently went to a country--many countries in the world that we're 
getting oil from, they don't like us. They hate us. But one country 
that is actually our friend is Dubai. And I went to Dubai recently.
  First, I want to show you a picture of Dubai in 1976. This was before 
oil prices went up. That's the main street in Dubai in 1976. It's a 
dirt road. The highest structure in Dubai is that mosque that many are 
in, about three stories high.
  When I went to Dubai, it didn't look anything like a small coastal 
village. It looked quite different.
  The next picture that I am going to show you is a picture of when I 
went there. Now, you saw that $89 gas bill. You're wondering where that 
money is going? This is where it's going. And this is what it's 
accomplishing for Dubai.
  That's where our money is. The Highway Trust Fund will run out of 
money next week. The people of Dubai are not running out of money. 
That's why the Highway Trust Fund has no money in it.
  You see all of the construction there? I was in Minneapolis this 
week. I saw very little construction. You go to cities around America, 
you see very little construction. You see very few of these high-rise 
cranes. But let me show you what you're seeing in Dubai. Let me show 
you another picture of Dubai.
  This is a picture I took from a five-star hotel that we toured. Look 
at the construction frames. Those are construction frames that if we 
would solve our energy dependency, they would be in Minneapolis, they 
would be in Denver, they would be in Atlanta. But 15 to 25 percent of 
them are in Dubai. That's where our money is going.
  Not only should our people be angry about what they're paying--they 
should be angry--and these are our friends. This is a country that is 
our friend. Most of our money goes to countries that are not our 
friends.
  Let me tell you what Dubai is doing. They've got plenty of oil, and 
they've got a lot of money. Do you know what they're spending their 
money on? Let me show you.
  China, India, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi, they get it. They're doing 
something about their energy problem. China is building 32 nuclear 
power plants. India is building 17. The slide I just showed you of 
Dubai, an oil rich country, and Abu Dhabi, they're building nuclear 
power plants. They're going to build 14 nuclear power plants. We're 
building none. And let me tell you the people in Alabama and this 
Nation are upset that they are building, China is building, India is 
building, and we are standing still. That's another thing they're angry 
about.
  We need nuclear power, and we need it now.
  Mr. Speaker, during my energy presentation on the House floor this 
evening, I received assistance from our congressional page, John 
Brinkerhoff. John is a junior at Spain Park High School in Hoover. He 
is an accomplished young man who will reflect well on the page program 
and on his family, school, and community during his time in Congress. 
My sincere thanks go to John for his help on the floor.

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