[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 44 (Wednesday, March 30, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1946-S1947]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           APPROACH TO ENERGY

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, later this morning, the President is 
expected to outline his vision for improving our Nation's energy 
security. But, as we frequently have seen with this administration, 
what it says and what it does are often two very different things. So 
this morning I would like to discuss some of the things the 
administration has actually done when it comes to energy, and then I 
would like to propose some things Republicans would do differently.
  It should go without saying that Americans are ready for action on 
this issue. With average gas prices approaching $4 a gallon in most 
parts of the country, growing uncertainty and unrest in the Middle 
East, and a jobs crisis here at home, Americans want the President to 
outline a serious plan today which will make us less dependent, not 
more, on foreign sources of oil and which stimulates job creation here. 
Unfortunately, what they have gotten instead are more of the same 
halfhearted proposals Democrats have trotted out every other time 
Americans get squeezed at the pump. Instead of facing the problem of 
higher energy prices head-on, Democrats are once again paying 
lipservice to those concerns with fake solutions that only aim to 
distract people from what they are really up to.
  It is my hope that the President changes that tune today, but I am 
not holding my breath because we have seen how this plays out many 
times before. Tell a Democrat in Washington that gas prices are too 
high, and as if on cue they will throw together a speech or a press 
conference to suggest that we open an underground oil reserve that was 
created to deal with calamities, not market pressures; they will take 
you on a tour of some alternative car plant that promises to have one 
of its $100,000 prototypes to market 25 years down the road or they 
will quietly release some report to the media about how energy 
companies really are not working hard enough to extract oil, while 
schizophrenically claiming American reserves are minuscule and that 
more production is not the solution.
  This last item is a perennial favorite of our friends on the other 
side. The idea here is to somehow blame energy companies for not 
producing enough energy on their own. What Democrats don't mention, 
however, is that a drilling lease is nothing more than an agreement 
with the government that a company has a right to explore for oil and 
gas in a certain area, not a guarantee that they will find it. They 
never see fit to mention that most of the area that could be leased is 
off limits thanks to the redtape factory Democrats operate here in 
Washington. Honestly, are we supposed to believe that the same 
administration that declared a blanket moratorium on all offshore 
drilling off the gulf coast, which chased away rigs and jobs to other 
countries, and which established new regulations that make getting a 
new drilling permit virtually impossible, now believes that energy 
companies aren't drilling enough?
  This doesn't even pass the laugh test, but it does suggest that 
Democrats don't even believe their own arguments about decreased 
production not affecting price. It is my hope that the President 
acknowledges as much today--that when you shut down drilling, higher 
prices and fewer jobs are sure to follow.
  The truth is we could use a lot more honesty on this whole issue from 
Democrats. Despite what some on the other side might say, Republicans 
are as eager as Democrats to develop alternative sources of energy. But 
everybody knows it will take years, if not decades, to get to the point 
where they will be economically viable and widely used. The President's 
target is decades from now. But Americans should be able to expect 
action now, and all they get from Democrats is a pretty picture of some 
far-off future we have been hearing about for decades, and not a word 
about the things Democrats are doing to make it harder to find and use 
energy we already have right here.
  Initial news reports about the President's speech today mention that 
the administration is determined to derive 80 percent of U.S. energy 
from clean energy sources in the year 2035. I am sure we could generate 
a great deal of bipartisan support for much of what the President will 
call for, assuming it doesn't involve Federal mandates. But what does 
any of this have to do with the crisis at hand--the crisis right now? 
The guy who is trying to make ends meet wants to know what you are 
going to do for him today, not 24 years from now. But, of course, the 
administration doesn't have anything to say to that guy because the 
administration's energy policy isn't aimed at him. If it were, then the 
administration would be locking down domestic energy sources. It 
wouldn't be looking to pass new regulations through the EPA that will 
impose a national energy tax on every business, large and small. It 
wouldn't be telling our allies in Brazil that while it is great that 
they found oil off their coast, those who want to search for oil off 
our coast and on our mainland can't. In other words, it is great the 
Brazilians are drilling offshore but not so good that we are. It 
wouldn't be telling job creators in the energy industry to look 
elsewhere.
  In his remarks today, the President is also expected to call for 
decreasing imports of foreign oil. Yet last week he told Brazilians 
that he hopes America becomes a major customer of Brazilian oil. Well, 
which is it? Which is it, Mr. President? Clearly, on this issue, the 
President is telling people what he thinks they want to hear.
  Over the past 2 years, the administration has undertaken what can 
only be described as a war on American energy. It has canceled dozens 
of drilling leases, it has declared a moratorium on drilling off the 
gulf coast, it has increased permit fees, and it has prolonged public 
comment periods. In short, it has done about everything it can to keep 
our energy sector from growing. As a result, thousands of U.S. workers 
have lost their jobs as companies have been forced to look elsewhere 
for a better business climate.
  Consider this: Three of the areas we could tap in Alaska are thought 
to hold enough oil to replace our crude imports from the Persian Gulf 
for nearly 65 years. So the problem isn't that we need to look 
elsewhere for our energy. The problem is that Democrats don't want us 
to use the energy we have. It is enough to make you wonder whether 
anybody in the White House has driven by a gas station lately.
  No, the crisis we face is immediate and it requires immediate action, 
and that is why Republicans have come up with two concrete proposals 
that will have a positive practical effect--two things we can do to 
give Americans relief, job creators a reason to hire, and make all of 
us less dependent on foreign sources of oil.
  First, let's increase American energy production by cutting the 
redtape and opening areas that the administration has either 
temporarily blocked, stalled, or closed off to production.
  Let's block any new regulations that will drive up production costs 
for energy, including the administration's proposed new EPA regulations 
on carbon emissions.
  The first proposal is guaranteed--guaranteed--to create jobs by 
unlocking our energy resources. The second has been described as one of 
the

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best proposals for growth and job creation to make it onto the Senate 
docket in years. Let's be clear: The alternatives being offered by the 
other side are nothing more than a face-saving exercise aimed at 
allowing Senators who aren't serious about this issue to mislead their 
constituents into believing they are.
  But the American people have put up with distractions and face-saving 
exercises long enough. They have put up with near double-digit 
unemployment long enough. They have heard enough about the costly big 
government proposals Democrats envision for the future. And frankly, 
they have had it. It is time to address the problems right in front of 
us. It is time for the President to put forth a serious plan. When it 
comes to energy, these problems are obvious. So are the answers. It is 
time for lawmakers to come together and do what we know is right.
  Madam President, I yield the floor.

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