[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 91 (Thursday, June 17, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1128-E1129]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING THE DANGERS AND DRAWBACKS OF AMERICA'S ADDICTION TO OIL

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. STEVE COHEN

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 17, 2010

  Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the dangers of 
America's continued dependence on harmful fossil fuels and the urgent 
need to usher in a new era of clean, green energy. In his 2006 State of 
the Union Address, President George W. Bush poignantly noted that 
``America is addicted to oil,'' an extremely destructive habit that 
continues to threaten our environment, national security, health, and 
economy. In light of the ongoing catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico, it 
is imperative that we recognize the dangers of our oil addiction and 
strive to actively break away from this costly and destructive 
dependence.
  Burning almost 20 million barrels of oil a day, the United States, 
which possesses a mere 2.2 percent of the world's oil reserves, 
consumes more than one quarter of the world's oil supply. This 
unrivaled compulsion to consume an increasingly limited oil supply has 
made the United States dependent on importing oil from foreign nations 
and producing environmentally destructive fuel sources.
  Most recently, our country has witnessed the growth of the Canadian 
tar sands industry. Tar sands are a combination of clay, sand, and 
bitumen that are found in great quantities under the boreal forest of 
Alberta. Through the use of large mining operations as well as 
extremely inefficient underground heating and production methods, 
companies are able to transform tar sands into a form of heavy oil that 
travels via pipeline from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico to be further 
refined for use in transportation fuels.
  The destructive effects of exploiting tar sands and building 
pipelines are varied and far reaching. These projects provide the 
United States a highly polluting fuel that when burned emits two to 
three times more carbon than the dirtiest fuels we use today. 
Widespread usage of tar sands will further ensure our dependence on 
fossils fuels that will pollute and contaminate our air and water. 
Furthermore, permitting tar sands mining and pipelines will 
significantly detract from the necessary drive to develop cleaner and 
more efficient fuel sources--sources that will not weaken our economy, 
threaten our national security, or harm the environment.
  Should tar sands pipelines be built, thousands of miles of land will 
be irrevocably scarred and poisoned. The pipelines required to 
transport the oil cut through sensitive ecosystems, cross rivers, and 
invade ranches and farms, which threaten water supplies, displace and 
endanger local wildlife, and put farmland out of production. Such 
pipelines also lead to a near inevitability of spills and leaks, the 
economic and environmental repercussions of which would be tremendous.
  In addition to the risks that arise from pipeline construction, the 
tar sands mining and production facilities will irreversibly devastate 
the environment. By creating a demand for tar sands, the Canadian 
Government will be encouraged to continue removing the boreal forest, 
destroying the natural habitats of countless animals and polluting both 
the air and water. Moreover, the growth in tar sands production 
facilities will necessitate the increased use of United States refiners 
which create far more air and water pollution in their surrounding 
communities.
  The construction of these pipelines should be immediately canceled, 
effectively taking a stand against the proliferation of this dirty 
fuel. Congress should also pass comprehensive climate and energy 
legislation that will hold the oil companies and similar corporations 
accountable for their pollution. Instead of building pipelines, we need 
to invest in American ingenuity and create a clean, green American 
energy economy.
  We must do everything in our power to end this oil addiction, and 
endorsing tar sands pipelines is a step in the wrong direction. Such a 
project would only continue to fuel the fires of our dependency. Now 
more than ever, we must take a stand.

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