[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 153 (Thursday, October 13, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6507-S6511]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
By Mr. PRYOR (for himself, Mr. Bingaman, Ms. Murkowski, Mr.
Begich, Mr. Coons, Mr. Burr, and Mr. Tester):
S. 1703. A bill to amend the Department of Energy Organization Act to
require a Quadrennial Energy Review, and for other purposes; to the
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Mr. PRYOR. Mr. President, I rise today along with Senators Bingaman,
Murkowski, Begich, Coons, Tester and Burr to introduce the Quadrennial
Energy Review Act of 2011.
One of the big gaps in federal energy policy is the lack of an
overarching vision and coordination among federal agencies to define
how the United States produces and uses energy. Every president since
Richard Nixon has called for America's independence from oil. We also
need to make sure that our nation has a 21st century electric grid that
matches supply with demand. If we want to create a more secure energy
future for America then we need to develop a national energy plan that
coordinates and integrates the energy policies of the various federal
agencies. The development of such a policy would enhance our energy
security, create jobs and mitigate environmental harm.
In the fall of 2009, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu asked the
President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, PCAST, to
review the energy technology innovation system to identify and
recommend ways to accelerate the large scale transformation of energy
production, delivery, and use to a low carbon energy system. In
response, PCAST formed a working group and in 2010 issued its ``Report
to the President on Accelerating the Pace of Change in Energy
Technologies through an Integrated Federal Energy Policy''. PCAST's
most important recommendation is that the Administration establish a
new process that can forge a more coordinated and robust Federal energy
policy, a major piece of which is advancing energy innovation. The
report recommends--
The President should establish a Quadrennial Energy Review,
QER, process that will provide a multiyear roadmap that lays
out an integrated view of short-, intermediate-, and long-
term energy objectives; outlines
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legislative proposals to Congress; puts forward anticipated
Executive actions coordinated across multiple agencies; and
identifies resource requirements for the development and
implementation of energy technologies.
Last month, the American Energy Innovation Council (AEIC) released a
report, Catalyzing American Ingenuity (http://
www.americanenergyinnovation
.org/2011-report/), which noted:
The nation needs a robust National Energy Plan to serve as
a strategic technology and policy roadmap . . . [to]
``provide a clear, integrated road map with short-,
intermediate-, and long-term objectives for federal energy
policies and technology programs, along with a structured,
time-bound plan to get there. We support DOE's Quadrennial
Technology Review, QTR, which we see as an important and
meaningful first step toward developing a national energy
strategy. The federal government should build on the QTR and
move quickly toward a government-wide QER.
AEIC is a group of prominent business leaders who came together last
year to call for a more vigorous public and private sector commitment
to energy technology innovation. AEIC members include: Norm Augustine,
former chairman and chief executive officer of Lockheed Martin; Ursula
Burns, chairman and chief executive officer of Xerox; John Doerr,
partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers; Bill Gates, chairman and
former chief executive officer of Microsoft; Charles O. Holliday,
chairman of Bank of America and former chairman and chief executive
officer of DuPont; Jeff Immelt, chairman and chief executive officer of
GE; and Tim Solso, chairman and chief executive officer of Cummins Inc.
A Quadrennial Energy Review could establish government-wide energy
goals, coordinate actions across agencies, and lead to the development
of a national energy policy.
As the lead agency in support of energy science and technology
innovation, the Department of Energy has taken the first step to
developing a national energy plan by conducting a Quadrennial
Technology Review of the energy technology policies and programs of the
Department. The QTR serves as the basis for DOE's coordination with
other agencies and on other programs for which the Department has a key
role.
The next step is to build upon DOE's report and perform a Quadrennial
Energy Review that would establish government-wide energy objectives,
coordinate actions across Federal agencies, and provide a strong
analytical base for Federal energy policy decisions.
Our bill, the Quadrennial Energy Review Act of 2011, would authorize
the President to establish an Interagency Working Group to submit a
Quadrennial Energy Review to Congress by February 1, 2014, and every 4
years thereafter. The Group would be co-chaired by the Secretary of
Energy and the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy,
OSTP, and consist of level I or II Executive Schedule members
representing the Departments of Commerce, Defense, State, Interior,
Agriculture, Treasury, and Transportation, Office of Management and
Budget, National Science Foundation, Environmental Protection Agency,
and other Federal organizations, departments and agencies that the
President considers to be appropriate.
The bill lists what information, at a minimum, shall be reported in
the Quadrennial Energy Review and requires the Secretary of Energy to
provide the Executive Secretariat and for agency heads to cooperate
with the Secretary.
We live in a global world with global demands on energy. The country
that best manages its energy resources will lead the 21st century and
provide its people a secure energy future. The U.S. needs to win the
energy race and this bill will help the United States remain that
country.
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