[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 77 (Tuesday, May 19, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H5779-H5784]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       CHANGING OUR ENERGY POLICY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 6, 2009, the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Yarmuth) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
  Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, it's been very interesting to have engaged 
in discussions over the last few months about changing our energy 
policy, and it's been particularly interesting listening to my 
colleagues on the other side talk about their vision of where this 
country goes or, rather, their lack of vision as to where this country 
will go in energy.
  This debate began several years ago. It was very prominent during the 
Presidential campaign in 2008, and there began to emerge a very clear 
distinction about two very different visions about what we need to do 
in this country.
  We heard last summer the mantra coming from the Republicans: ``Drill, 
baby, drill! Drill, baby, drill!'' That was, in essence, the sum and 
substance of the Republican Party's energy policy: continue to drill 
for oil, continue to emit carbon CO2 into the atmosphere, 
continue to avoid the tough choices about changing our goals in energy 
policy in this country, trying to achieve energy independence and, 
again, relying on the same technologies that we've used in this country 
for 100 years.
  Fortunately, we elected a President who has a very different vision 
of where we go in energy, a very progressive vision of where we go in 
energy, a policy that he has proposed, that this Congress is proposing 
to enact, that will end our dependence on oil and carbon-based fuels, 
will set a new course to where we are actually using the great gifts of 
the natural world, such as wind and solar energy, creating the kinds of 
incentives for businesses to create new jobs and new industries, so 
that we can create a future that is not only clean but prosperous.
  Now, what's interesting in listening to my colleagues from the other 
side, all very well-intentioned men and women, and I've listened to 
some over the last hour, is this constant emphasis on the cost of 
changing direction, the cost of cleaning the air, the cost of truly 
creating an alternative energy policy in this country. And I'm glad 
they do that because, as with any good thing, there is a cost to doing 
it, but what we would like to emphasize in pursuing a new direction is 
the cost of not acting and not pursuing that new direction.
  What have we seen, for instance, in this country over the last 
decade? We've seen the average citizen's energy costs rise by well over 
$1,000 a year, and last summer alone, we saw gas prices at $4 a gallon, 
which certainly is an additional tax on every American citizen who 
drives a car or who powers anything.
  As we project onward, we know that diminishing resources in carbon-
based fuel, diminishing supplies of petroleum, the price of gas is 
going to continue to go up. The price of natural gas is going to rise. 
So the cost of pursuing the same old status quo is significant.
  On the other hand, we can make an investment now. We can make an 
investment that will save us money, will continue to save us money 
toward infinity. We can actually harness the power of the sun, the 
power of the wind, hydroelectric power, geothermal power, all of the 
alternative sources which we know are available to us. If we can do 
that--and this bill that we are contemplating right now sets us in that 
direction, provides the type of incentives and stimulus that will get 
us to that era--then we will have an era in which we dramatically cut 
our energy costs. We will save trillions and trillions of dollars as we 
move forward.
  I know just in my own district, I've gone to see some of the new 
techniques for building homes, for utilizing all of the LEED-certified 
processes that can cut a 3000-square-foot home's utility costs to under 
$100 a month. These are the potentials that are out there for us, and 
these are the potentials that this proposal that we are dealing with 
now and considering in Congress can bring to reality.
  So this is a debate that's important for this country. In a very real 
sense, it represents the future of this country, and there are very 
real differences between the Democratic Caucus and the administration 
and our colleagues on the other side who again prefer to pursue a 20th-
century energy policy, rather than a 21st-century energy policy.
  So I'm joined here by someone who has great interest in this subject 
and many others, who is part of that class of 2006 which changed 
control of the Congress and set us in a new direction. I'm proud to 
introduce my good friend and colleague, Ron Klein from Florida.
  Mr. KLEIN of Florida. I thank the gentleman and thank him for his 
leadership.
  As a Member from the Commonwealth of Kentucky, obviously you have a 
great deal of understanding about energy needs. The cities in Kentucky, 
the rural areas of Kentucky, the great equestrian and horse industry in 
Kentucky, all of those require the types of energy that we know are 
future energy sources for America.
  I think this is just such a moment in time that really allows for an 
excitement. Now, these are challenging times, make no mistake about it. 
In my lifetime--and I'm 51 years old. Mr. Yarmuth is probably somewhere 
in that range as well.
  Mr. YARMUTH. I thank the gentleman for his flattery.

[[Page H5780]]

  Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Well, as Americans we understand challenges. We 
understand crises. Our fathers, our grandparents, our great-
grandparents were certainly the architects of us getting through world 
wars. They fought, they innovated, they came out of it even stronger. 
My mom was a public schoolteacher, taught second grade, taught me about 
how important education is to make a success of one's self.
  My dad was a small businessman. I don't know if you remember five-
and-ten-cent stores. We called them variety stores. We had them in 
Cleveland, Ohio, where I grew up, and I worked there since I was 8 
years old. And my dad taught me what it was like to balance the books, 
not borrow unless you absolutely have to. I understood what it took to 
make payroll. We had eight employees and we took care of them. These 
were people that he was loyal to and they were loyal to him, and he 
taught me about work ethic.
  But most importantly, he taught me about what it takes to be an 
American, and given those opportunities to succeed, you will succeed.
  And that's why, to me, at this moment of great challenges in our 
economy, people's jobs may be being lost permanently, that this is the 
moment that we shouldn't just be incremental. We shouldn't be small 
thinking. We should be thinking big and look at this as an opportunity, 
an opportunity to truly change the direction of America.
  And that direction takes in a lot of different pieces, but of course, 
it starts with a solid education. And I know that when my mom made it a 
necessity for me to go to school, college, I was able to borrow money 
through the student loan programs to get there. That was an opportunity 
and allowed me to be standing here today representing people in south 
Florida. But most importantly was that education that allowed me to see 
what our great universities can do in terms of innovation and science 
and business and to combine those great things together.
  We know the story of John F. Kennedy, when that little Sputnik went 
up in space, and for those people who were living at that time, that 
little can that went up in space was the Russian statement to the world 
that they were going to be dominant in space, and that scared 
Americans. Not because they knew that it was a direct threat, but they 
didn't know what it meant with this Cold War going at that time.
  But what John F. Kennedy did by saying, I'm going to put a man on the 
moon at the end of the 1960s is, he said that we're going to put 
science first and innovation and challenge, and we built a NASA 
program, and we put a man on the moon not by 1970, but in 1969, in 
July. I remember that.
  And to me, that is the kind of inspiration that I think our President 
today is presenting to us, President Barack Obama, about using science, 
using technology, using business innovation to earn our way and work 
our way out of this recession. It's not going to be something we're 
going to tax our way out of. We're going to grow our way out of this 
with jobs, with clean energy, with energy innovation, with energy 
products that not only are going to make us safer and more secure from 
a national security point of view--because we already know we import 60 
percent of our oil from countries outside of the United States, and God 
only knows that is the wrong place for us to be at any moment in time.
  We want to be self-reliant, and we have the capacity to do that with 
not only oil and gas but solar and wind and wave and nuclear and a 
whole lot of different things.
  And it's about time that we sort of say this is our time, this is our 
moment to get it back on track. And I think that is what the President 
is saying to Americans. That's what the President is saying to American 
business.
  I would share with the gentleman from Kentucky--he knows this because 
he helped write this bill. The big bill that we passed recently, the 
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the stimulus bill it's called, 
it has some incredibly positive things in it, not only to stimulate the 
economy but on energy. It has a smart grid, advanced battery technology 
effort, and it's millions and billions of dollars for our universities, 
for our businesses to come together, putting the smartest people at the 
table from a business point of view, how to take a product to market, 
as well as the science point of view, to get these batteries for all 
electric cars and for all sorts of innovation, to come together and say 
we're going to focus and we're going to do it. We're going to be more 
successful than any other country in the world.

                              {time}  1645

  And you know something, we're not only going to make it good for the 
United States; we're going to export those products and license that 
technology. And all the other countries of the world, instead of, you 
know, exporting to us, we're going to start exporting to them. Great 
opportunity there.
  There are also a whole lot of really good things about energy 
efficiency, energy savings at home, encouraging people to buy products 
and giving them tax incentives to buy products that save on energy. 
Green jobs, green buildings, all these kind of things just offer such 
great opportunities. So, you know, I look at this moment when we're 
discussing energy, and not just about a drill, drill, drill issue. 
That's not the issue. Of course oil's going to be part of our national 
energy policy and so will natural gas, and we have more natural gas, 
and that's good.
  But I'm from Florida. Florida should be leading the world right now 
in solar power. We're the Sunshine State, and every State in the 
country has something to advertise. People come to Florida for our sun. 
Well, we should be leading in solar technology at our universities and 
for consumer purposes.
  So I thank the gentleman for raising this today. We're going to be 
working on this issue. And again, this is not just about climate. This 
is about energy. This is about environment. This is about national 
security. Any one of those three, pick them, and I think that we could 
recognize this is the time for us to really put our foot down and make 
something happen.
  Mr. YARMUTH. And I would also mention that this is about jobs. It's 
about jobs, jobs, jobs, because this is going to be one of the emerging 
industries of the 21st century. We know that. The American people know 
that. I mean, the polling on this topic is actually overwhelming. The 
high percentage, a majority of the American people understand that we 
need to go in a different direction in energy, that we need to make the 
investments, we need to stop global warming emissions. Seventy-seven 
percent of the voters, according to one recent poll, want us to act to 
reduce global warming emissions, CO2. They know that this is 
what we need to do.
  And, you know, this relates to what my colleague has said so well. 
What we are proposing to do in this legislation, in health care 
legislation that we're also working on, in the Recovery Act legislation 
that we've enacted, we're making a bet on America. We're making a big 
bet on America.
  And I know that sometimes we hear our colleagues on the other side 
say, Oh, gosh, nobody borrows money to make money. Well, no. That's 
exactly what you do. That's what virtually every corporation that's 
ever succeeded in this country has done. They've borrowed money and 
they've invested it in ways that enabled them to make enormous future 
profits. And that's what we're proposing to do here.
  We're going to increase deficits in this country over the next few 
years in order to enact those policies. But we're making a bet that 
American ingenuity, American brilliance, will develop the type of 
advances that will not only pay back that deficit, will not only create 
millions of new jobs, will not only create an exploding new industry, 
but will also lead this country into a great era of prosperity and will 
make life better for everyone, because if we can cut a person's utility 
bills from $3,000 or $4,000 a year to $500 a year, that's essentially a 
tax cut, a substantial tax cut.
  And I know they like to talk about raising taxes, raising taxes. But 
again, as I mentioned earlier, what is the cost of not doing something 
now? What is the cost of reverting to that 20th century economy when 
gas was $4 a gallon last summer, and where, you know, we know gas in 
Europe is $9 and $10 in some places. What would that do to the American 
economy if gasoline were $9 or $10 a gallon? It would come to a 
screeching halt literally and figuratively. And that's why the types of

[[Page H5781]]

things we're proposing in this energy legislation are so critical, 
because we're making the big bet, the big bet that American ingenuity 
will succeed and we'll once again dominate the world and we'll once 
again lead the world into a much better era, an era of cleaner skies, 
cleaner water, and also one of great prosperity.
  I'm willing to make that bet on America because America's never 
failed. And I think that's what is so exciting and inspirational about 
the administration and the White House and the leadership in this 
Congress, that they're willing to make the big bet that America will 
succeed.
  I yield again to the gentleman from Florida.
  Mr. KLEIN of Florida. I thank the gentleman for yielding. When I 
think about, when people talk about the best investment you can make is 
in yourself, and I know that over the years I've known people that were 
very successful in their own business and then they sort of went 
outside, they had a little extra money and they went outside their 
comfort zone and invested in something they maybe didn't know enough 
about and sometimes they lost money in that way.
  I am so strongly in belief, as you just said, that investing in 
American scientists, investing in American business entrepreneurs, 
investing in the confidence that American consumers have, that we 
cannot only emerge in a stronger position, but we will absolutely 
dominate this energy field. And I'll give you an example.
  The light bulbs that we see up here. These are incandescent light 
bulbs that were designed by Thomas Edison. The technology, long, long 
ago, a hundred years ago. And over the years we've made certain 
improvements to them and things like that, but they're very energy 
oriented. They really consume a lot of energy.
  Well, you've now seen these new bulbs, that sort of circular, looks 
like a loop kind of thing, and those save a lot of energy. Now, they 
cost more at the store right now if you go to one of the stores because 
obviously there is a supply-and-demand issue.
  But one of the things that we can do in government that doesn't cost 
the taxpayers a dime is we can create market, something Europe has been 
doing for a long time. And an example of this, and I know the gentleman 
from Kentucky is aware of this: Last year we passed a bill that will 
phase out the old-fashioned light bulbs over the next number of years, 
transition. And when we say ``phase out,'' they're going to have to put 
in, you know, they'll basically be selling new light bulbs, new energy-
efficient light bulbs.

  Well, guess what that does. Without the government spending a dime, 
without anybody doing anything, it gives businesses and business 
entrepreneurs and scientists a signal, a market signal that says there 
are going to be 450 million light bulbs sold in 2012 of this type, a 
big, big market in the United States. That's not the real number, but 
some extraordinary number, and then around world.
  That means that if you design and can build in a cost-effective way 
and manufacture a light bulb that meets these specifications, there is 
a big market out there. So it certainly gives you, as an entrepreneur, 
as a businessperson, the signal to say, I'm going to invest in 
something that I know there's going to be a big market. And over the 
next number of years that market will only grow and expand. It's the 
same thing that we've seen with appliances. It's the same thing with 
our heating and air-conditioning systems. The refrigerators that were 
built 20 years ago used, I think, something like 10 times as much 
energy as they used today, even though today's average refrigerator is 
larger, does more functions and everything else. And that's because 
over time, you know, people understood, they wanted it more efficient, 
they wanted to pay less. So they paid a little more for the 
refrigerator up front, absolutely recouped that over time.
  So, to me, these are the exciting things when it comes to electric 
automobiles and hybrids and all sorts of new technology that will make 
our homes more efficient, our buildings more efficient where we work. 
And it's a moment where I think with a partnership of government 
sending the right signals and the right tax planning, and businesses 
and consumers wanting to make these changes, wanting to succeed and 
create these jobs and wanting to be successful, it's the perfect 
combination.
  And I yield back.
  Mr. YARMUTH. I'm glad the gentleman mentioned those types of 
innovations, because the Consumer Products Division of General Electric 
is based in my district, and I'm well aware of the incredible progress 
that's being made in energy-efficient appliances and in those light 
bulbs. And this isn't the General Electric Company, but another very 
large company in my district just went through their plant and replaced 
all of their bulbs with energy-saving bulbs. It cost them $80,000 to do 
it. Now, $80,000 is a pretty substantial sum to a business, but they 
made the calculation that $80,000 would be paid back many, many times 
over in savings as they went forward.
  And this is going to happen in business after business, in 
institution after institution, colleges, schools, you name it, across 
the country will be making these changes because they recognize the 
savings.
  General Electric has, as do other manufacturers--I'm obviously going 
to plug General Electric--has new appliances which actually are 
regulated so that they will actually go on. They're timed so that they 
will be--let's say a dishwasher or a clothing washer or dryer will 
actually go on during periods of the day when peak utility usage, when 
it's not peak utility usage, when there's actually low demand on 
utilities. And they think by doing this, by creating these types of 
very smart appliances, they call them smart appliances, that they will 
actually be able to save energy costs systemwide because they won't be 
draining the utilities at the peak usage hours.
  So there are all sorts of very, very smart things going on, and the 
legislation that we're proposing and the government initiatives that 
we're trying to initiate will go a great distance in seeing that 
through.
  One of the things that intrigued me today, and I'm very proud of not 
just President Obama but also the automobile manufacturers and the 
various State governments that were involved in this discussion, to 
raise the mileage standards for automobiles to 35 miles a gallon by 
2016, which is far faster than was provided for in legislation we 
passed in 2007.
  But what's fascinating to me about this, and I think the gentleman 
would agree, that technology is going to outstrip even these standards 
that we're setting. I mean, there's a Ford Fusion right now, 41 miles a 
gallon in the city, a Ford Fusion hybrid. There are going to be 
electric cars that are coming out within the next year or two that will 
essentially get far more mileage than the prescription in this 
agreement that was reached.
  So that's just a measure, one more measure of how successful, how 
innovative our economy can be when given a challenge. And all we're 
trying to do in this legislation that we're proposing now is to kind of 
put the challenge out there with the right kind of incentives, with the 
right kind of government push and funding and let the American spirit 
and American ingenuity have its way. And I know that this is going to 
be--again, this is going to be a phenomenal job creator and an economic 
engine for America as we move forward.
  And I'll yield to the gentleman again.
  Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Thank you. And I absolutely agree. And if you 
think about, you know, the automobile, I'm in full agreement. I think 
it's exciting, and I'm glad to see that our people at the automotive 
companies understand this challenge, are not standing in the way. 
They're embracing it, and that's pretty exciting. And I think they're 
embracing it because they know that their survival is dependent on 
selling a car that the American consumer will want to buy, will get 
efficiency in operation, will last, and the maintenance will be 
minimal. There's a strong warranty behind it, things that were the 
mainstay of the automobile industry in the United States for a long 
time and, you know, sort of tapered off over the last few years.
  But there's absolutely no reason in my mind why an American 
automobile can't be as good or better than any automobile in the world 
and why our

[[Page H5782]]

scientists and engineers can't create the best automobile.
  There's a company in New Jersey that has been working on a different 
kind of concept which is very interesting. They're actually pushing--or 
not pushing. I think they've got the Government of Israel to support 
this, and I think Finland also, where in Israel they're going to be 
converting their entire--all their automobiles to electric automobiles 
over the next number of years.
  And here's the simplicity of how this works, because I love when 
people say, Well, we can't do it, and the naysayers. And, oh, it's too 
expensive or too this. It just takes a little bit of thought to get it 
through.
  Here's the simple idea. Right now, we have a tank of gas that may get 
you 200 miles, 300 miles, and then you run out of gas. Okay? So it's 
finite. It's not like your car runs indefinitely. You have to stop at a 
gas station. And, of course, in the United States, we have gas stations 
a lot of different places, but there aren't a lot of places you can get 
flex fuels and a lot of other, which has held up the alternative types 
of engine development in the United States.
  This group has a car that has a battery, and the battery, I think 
right now the electric charge is maybe 100 miles, which, by the way, 
for most people, you don't go more than 100 miles in any city during 
the day. You may go 30, 40 miles, and then you can swap the battery 
out. You go to a gas station, which is now a service station. You swap 
the battery out just like you did with your old--your telephone battery 
kind of thing, and then you pop it back in and you're ready for the 
next charge. Or you plug in at night at home.
  Now, if you think about it, our utility plants right now operate at 
peak capacity during the day. In the middle of the night when factories 
aren't necessarily operating and the peak load for electricity is down, 
they're operating at 30 percent, 40 percent, 60 percent, whatever the 
number is. So if you were to plug all these cars in at night with a 
nominal amount of electricity, no big deal. It makes full use of the 
existing capacity. You don't need another megawatt of electricity to do 
this, and you've got a car that has no emissions whatsoever.

                              {time}  1700

  We also know that this 100-mile charge, in the next couple of years 
it's going to be 120 and then 150 and then 200, because the technicians 
and the science people are going to get these batteries up and running, 
just like they make cars more efficient over time.
  I thank the Senate for passing the Credit Card bill. I think that's a 
very exciting bill that the House passed already--it's called the 
Credit Card Consumers Rights bill. I think in a bipartisan way many of 
us in the House were very excited about the opportunity to try to get 
some balance in the credit card world for consumers, particularly at a 
time like this. So I appreciate the work of the Senate. I know we're 
going to be working actively to get that bill resolved.
  But just to finish the thought, if I can, the gentleman from 
Kentucky, is just to say that this electric car concept, it's exactly--
whether that is the prototype for what is going to work in America, I 
can't tell you. But I love the idea that great thinkers are out there 
coming up with new ideas. The simplicity of being able to plug a car 
into a wall--there's a plug in the most rural areas or there's an 
electric outlet in the middle of the city.
  So I think that's the kind of thinking that I would love to see as we 
move forward. I know that the tax incentives are in place for the 
development of our companies in the United States that develop these. I 
know the American people are ready for the jobs and our economy is 
ready for rebuilding. I think this is that moment in time as we pass 
this stimulus bill and we're now moving into the phase of letting the 
companies compete for these grants and letting our universities 
participate in the development with our greatest scientists and 
greatest engineers to take us to the next level so we will have energy 
security, national security, cleaner environment, and the kinds of 
economy that my kids, your kids, maybe our grandkids in the future, 
will be able to enjoy and participate in.
  Mr. YARMUTH. Exactly. And millions of new jobs and essentially a 
reduction in everyone's utility costs that will amount to a substantial 
tax cut. So, in my view, and I think the view of most Americans, this 
is a win-win-win-win-win.
  Before we yield to another colleague, I'd just like to go through 
some of these other poll numbers to show where the American people are, 
because sometimes we sit in this Chamber--and we have equal time with 
the minority party so we have equal minutes. Sometimes you might get 
the impression that there's an equal number of people who agree with 
that position, an equal number of people who agree with our position.
  But this is a poll actually done by a combination of Democratic and 
Republican pollsters and also by the Pew Research Group. Seventy-four 
percent of Republicans, 70 percent of Independents, and 74 percent of 
Democrats believe jobs that reduce our dependence on foreign oil are 
very important for helping the economy over the next 5 to 10 years.
  Sixty-three percent of Republicans, 70 percent of Independents, and 
37 percent of Democrats believe jobs that are improving energy 
efficiency are very important to helping the economy over the next 5 to 
10 years.
  Fifty-nine percent of voters believe efforts to tackle global warming 
will help create jobs. We heard from the other side earlier this 
afternoon that, Oh, gosh, efforts to reduce global warming emissions 
are going to kill jobs--millions and millions of jobs--and result in a 
huge tax increase. Most Americans don't agree with that. Most Americans 
agree this is going to be a benefit for the economy.
  Seventy-seven percent of voters favor action to reduce global warming 
emissions. Fifty percent of voters say they would view their Member of 
Congress more favorably if they support a comprehensive plan to create 
clean energy jobs and fight global warming. Only 22 percent say they 
would view their Member of Congress less favorably.
  So it's pretty clear from these numbers and it's pretty clear from 
the people I talk to that the American people are strongly in favor of 
our taking dramatic action to set our country on a new path where 
energy is concerned toward a cleaner energy future, a more affordable 
energy future, toward an independent energy future. And I think that 
the moves we are making in this Congress will take us in that 
direction. I'm very proud that we're doing that.
  I yield to the gentleman from Florida.
  Mr. KLEIN of Florida. I thank the gentleman. I think when we talk 
about polls, obviously it's interesting to hear what the American 
people have to say because those are the people impacted by the 
decisions that are made here in Washington. And particularly at home 
right now, I know where I live in south Florida, people are hurting, 
they're suffering. They're looking for what is going on for the future 
of their jobs, their businesses. If they're senior citizens, they're 
concerned about what's going on in the economy.
  But I think what is going on is there seems to be a little bit of a 
glimmer of some turn here. It's going to take time. What we all 
inherited--I'm talking about America, I'm not talking about this 
Congress--but all of us as Americans, we inherited, unfortunately, a 
pretty deep situation with the bank crisis and things like that.
  We all go through recessions. Recessions cycle out. We do everything 
we can as a country, both public and private sector, to contract the 
amount of time it's going to take to allow a recession to go through.
  But, again, I see this as a time also with the new President, 
President Obama, as really taking this moment to say we're going to 
have to fix some of the problems that have been festering a long time. 
We have an investment in roads and infrastructure and schools and 
bridges and things like that.
  We have an investment in health care--to try to fix the health care 
system. We're debating a lot of new ideas right now. I know that every 
one of us has a family situation with a preexisting condition. My 
sister had cancer diagnosed recently, and she's going to have problems 
with insurance. You know something? This is that moment when you need 
insurance--not a perfectly healthy person.

[[Page H5783]]

  But whether it's energy or health care or education or the bridges 
and roads and universities, things like that, these are the things that 
I think are really beginning to come out. The polls can say something, 
as my friend from Kentucky said, but these are Americans talking. These 
aren't Democrats or Republicans or Independents. These are Americans 
from all walks of life, from all 50 States, rural areas and industrial 
areas, areas where there's been a great history of success and areas 
that are now having great difficulties.
  I think that's why it is exciting to have the kind of energy and the 
kind of leadership that's coming out of the White House. We may not 
necessarily grant every single thing, but I think that what's going on 
right now in Washington, there's a great amount of trying that's going 
on, a great amount of effort going into passing things.
  There's been a number of bills passed--everything from health care to 
the energy issues. We know that as we move forward there are going to 
be greater issues to tackle. And I know that all of us feel very 
strongly this is a moment where we want to hear from our constituents, 
to talk to us, to let us know what is on their mind; not get caught up 
on the discussions on cable television. Obviously, everybody's got an 
opinion.

  Literally, when we come home and we're talking every day at home with 
what Americans are talking about, what is important to them, this is 
that time to share with us. I know that many of you do. I just want to 
continue that conversation as we move forward.
  I just wanted to thank the gentleman for bringing us here tonight to 
talk about energy because this is something that is going to have one 
of the biggest impacts on our future, both our foreign policy and our 
domestic policy. I look forward to working with you and all the Members 
of Congress on making sure we get it right.
  Mr. YARMUTH. I thank the gentleman. He makes a very important point, 
and that is that you started in this way, that we are at a critical 
juncture in our Nation's history and the history of the world. We, for 
once, at least in my memory, are starting to look at the long-term 
needs of this country and this world.
  We don't do that very well in this country. It's always we look to 
tomorrow, we look maybe to next year, but we don't look at the next 
generation and the generation past that. And in the debate we will have 
in coming weeks on energy and later in the year on health care, we will 
hear, again, this very distinct difference in opinion.
  I heard Members this morning and I heard the minority leader on 
Sunday on television talking about health care, saying the cost of 
reforming health care is so great, it's going to cost billions and 
billions of dollars, which we know. We don't know exactly how much it's 
going to cost to do that, but we know pretty certainly what the cost of 
not acting is, because the projections just in Medicare alone are that 
we're facing something like a $70 trillion projected deficit in 
additional deficit in Medicare over the next 50 years.
  So we don't have the option of not acting. We don't have that option. 
Yes, we are going to spend some money in the next few years. But, 
again, if we don't, we face a certain dismal future. If we act now, we 
have a chance of turning this country in the right direction and 
creating a very prosperous and bright future for our country.
  Now I'd like to yield to another member of the class of 2006, a good 
friend and colleague from Indiana, Mr. Donnelly.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentleman from 
Indiana will control the remainder of the hour.
  There was no objection.


    Commemoration of Those Who Gave Their Lives in the Armed Forces

  Mr. DONNELLY. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to thank my two 
colleagues, Mr. Klein from Florida and Mr. Yarmuth from Kentucky, for 
their insightful ideas and words.
  Mr. Speaker, as we near Memorial Day, I rise today to offer some 
words in commemoration of those who gave their lives in the Armed 
Forces; in particular, three sons from our Second District of Indiana.
  I know that words are only a poor and passing memorial, gone as soon 
as spoken. Flowers, plaques, and even stone--the other tokens we offer 
on Memorial Day to celebrate our fallen sons and daughters--all of 
these will decay and crumble. Nothing we give will endure as long as 
the gifts of these soldiers who, in their death, gave an example of 
fidelity that will never die.
  Lance Corporal Cameron Babcock, was a native son of Plymouth, 
Indiana, and a proud member of the United States Marine Corps. Cameron 
lost his life at Twenty-Nine Palms Marine Base in California on January 
20.
  Cameron was a fine young man. He loved his family and he loved his 
country. Cameron was fun-loving and was known for his bear hug. He knew 
the value of the small things that made life a joy--being with friends, 
playing music, four-wheeling, and spending time with his beloved 
family. Cameron was successful in enjoying the many riches of life.
  His talent with the trumpet led him to compete at the State Jazz 
Festival in 2005, and his musical talent also led to his participation 
in the Wind Ensemble, comprised of some of the top musicians at 
Plymouth High School. Cameron's warm personality attracted to him a 
wide circle of friends.
  But Cameron also knew the value of matters larger than himself. His 
lifelong dream was to join the proud ranks of the United States Marine 
Corps. Shortly after graduating from Plymouth High School in 2006, 
Cameron dove right into this dream and enlisted. His energy, 
enthusiasm, and many gifts made the Marine Corps, and this Nation, much 
better.
  He became an infantry rifleman, excelling all through basic training. 
Before long, he proved his bravery by serving a tour of duty in Iraq, 
spending several months in Ramadi in the Sunni Triangle. In this 
dangerous setting, Cameron continually did his job faithfully, and he 
did it well.
  He won a variety of honors for his service and, at the time of his 
death, was prepared to again answer the call of duty for his country 
and return to Iraq.
  Mr. Speaker, I also want to recognize the life and service of 
Sergeant Joseph Ford, originally of Knox, Indiana, a proud member of 
the Indiana Army National Guard. He died on May 10, 2008, when his 
vehicle rolled over during a training exercise near Al Asad, Iraq.
  For most of his life, Sergeant Ford was simply known as Joey. Joey 
had a love of learning throughout his life; in particular, a passion 
for history that led him to attend the University of Southern Indiana 
to major in history.
  Joey's passion for history reflected a passion for his country. This 
passion--this patriotism--kindled in him the desire to serve his 
country. The dedication to military service did not come without 
challenges for Joey. In order to meet the physical demands of the 
military, he embarked on an aggressive weight loss program, losing over 
70 pounds in order to be able to join the Indiana National Guard.
  This desire to serve his country did not stop at the water's edge. 
His commanding officer, Lieutenant Chastain, stated that Ford wanted to 
be the gunner on an armored vehicle rather than the driver. He said of 
Joey, ``He exemplified what a dedicated soldier is.''

                              {time}  1715

  This dedication was honored by his posthumous promotion from 
specialist to sergeant and the awarding of a Bronze Star.
  Mr. Speaker, great as his love of country was, he also loved his 
family, in particular, his parents Dalarie and Sam and his wife Karen.
  Joey had met the love of his life while he attended the University of 
Southern Indiana. His friend and fellow Guardsman, Keith Ausland, noted 
that his conversations with Joey during training and in Iraq generally 
ended not with concerns about the mission but concerns about his 
family. Ausland wrote in his tribute to Joey that, ``Joe was a new 
husband, and he loved his wife dearly.''
  When his mom Dalarie was asked about the one thing she would want her 
son remembered for, she said, ``He was so kind to everybody. At the 
memorial service it was amazing just to see all the unique people who 
loved Joey. He never wrote off anyone, and he was friends with 
everybody, all shapes, sizes, all walks of life. Joe was a gentle 
soul.'' So today we remember and honor Joe Ford, a patriot and a gentle

[[Page H5784]]

soul, a proud dad, a proud husband and a wonderful son.
  Mr. Speaker, for much of the history of war, the number of soldiers 
struck down on the battlefield has been dwarfed by those killed by 
illness and disease. Thankfully, modern medicine has made the scourge 
of disease far more remote for our soldiers today, which makes the 
death of Private Randy Stabnik, also of the Indiana Army National 
Guard, all the more painful.
  On February 17, Private Stabnik died from pneumococcal meningitis, a 
rare and unexpected death. After Randy had joined the National Guard, 
his family could see how much he was growing to love his service. His 
dad Jim, when asked about his son's service, said, ``When he came home 
for Christmas, I could tell he missed it. He missed the lifestyle. He 
missed his friends there. He loved it, but missed his son. They were 
very, very close.''
  His son Nathan, only 8 years old, lost his 28-year-old dad. This is 
part of the tragedy of war. Soldiers fight and die to protect those 
they love, and we must never forget the burden of sacrifice borne by 
the loved ones who are left behind.
  His son and his family should know that Randy cared deeply for them. 
His mom said shortly after his death, ``Randy was Mom's baby, Mom's 
angel. He was my heart.'' And her angel, he remains. But he is also an 
angel for the entire Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, ultimately the greatest memorial to these fallen 
patriots, to Cameron, to Joey and to Randy, will not be my words nor 
anything we can build or bestow. Our greatest honor for them will be to 
look not toward them but to look where they looked, to seek what they 
sought. If we work for that same good for which they gave their lives, 
if we create a nation at once more just, more secure, and more free, we 
will be a brighter beacon in a frequently dark world; and we will have 
given our fallen brothers and sisters a true memorial worthy of them.
  Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
  I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________