[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 40 (Tuesday, March 11, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1498-S1499]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 ENERGY

  Mr. HOEVEN. Thank you, Madam President.
  Last night the majority party had an all-night session talking about 
energy, but there is no specific proposal coming forward. We are here 
ready to vote to do our job representing the American people and 
actually craft a plan, a comprehensive energy plan for this country 
that works.
  Since we didn't hear one last night, I thought I would come today and 
propose one. I would like to propose a States-first all-of-the-above 
energy plan. This isn't new. This is a plan I proposed along with 
others, my good colleague from South Dakota, my good colleague from 
Wyoming who was just here, and others. This is a comprehensive 
approach, a bipartisan approach, and actually specific legislation, a 
number of bills that will create a comprehensive plan to not only 
produce more energy for our country but to create more jobs, to grow 
our economy, to help expand our tax base, so we can reduce the deficit 
and the debt without raising taxes and, maybe most importantly of all, 
actually providing national security so we do not have to import oil 
from the Middle East--a specific action plan with legislation drafted 
and introduced that, instead of talking about it here on the Senate 
floor, let's do it. Let's start voting. Let's pass it. Let's put 
solutions in place for the American people.
  Now this is not one big monolithic one-size-fits-all Federal plan, 
Federal approach. Instead, it is a series of bills sponsored, as I say, 
by Members on both sides of the aisle that would truly create a States-
first, all-of-the-above energy approach. It includes measures such as 
my good colleague from South Dakota just said. Let's approve the 
Keystone Pipeline. The administration has been working on it for 5 
years. Maybe they are going to work on it for another 5 years. I don't 
know. Well, let's approve it here in Congress. Let's act.
  Another bill, the Dominion Energy and Jobs Act, is a bill I 
introduced that has already been passed by the House. It is a series of 
13 different pieces of legislation that would help us produce more 
energy in this country both onshore and off.
  The Empower States Act is another piece of legislation I put forward 
that would address hydraulic fracturing which is unleashing new areas 
of energy production in our country, or the coal ash recycling bill, 
that not only would help us recycle coal ash, but provide better 
standards to make sure that we are storing ash that is recycled in 
environmentally sound ways, addressing a problem that EPA is working 
on, and has to come up with a solution by the end of the year. We work 
with the EPA to come up with a commonsense solution that also 
encourages recycling coal ash to use on highways and buildings and 
other construction, and for other construction purposes. There is the 
Domestic Fuels Act, which is another piece of legislation that not only 
helps us market traditional fuels at the pump, such as traditional oil 
and gas products, but also renewable fuels, such as biofuels, 
biodiesel, ethanol, hydrogen, other types of energy that we are working 
to develop--renewable fuels. Let's make it easier to give consumers 
choice at the pump and more competition that will help reduce their 
costs.

  This is the same kind of comprehensive plan that we developed in 
North

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Dakota when I was Governor. I was a Governor there for 10 years. We 
developed a plan that we called EmPower North Dakota, and of course the 
whole idea was to unleash the energy resources of our State--all of our 
resources. I am not just talking about oil and gas--traditional sources 
of energy--but all traditional and renewable energy that have truly 
made our State an energy powerhouse for the country. We did it at the 
State level, and we can do it at the national level.
  So how does it work? Quite simply, it empowers States to build on 
their relative strengths. It does so by giving them the primary role, 
or the primary responsibility, in terms of regulating energy 
development and growth in their State. That may be oil, gas, nuclear, 
biofuels, hydro, wind, solar, biomass or whatever else may be an area 
of strength or expertise for their respective State.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator's time has expired.
  Mr. HOEVEN. I ask the Chair for 2 minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. HOEVEN. I thank the Presiding Officer.
  If you think about it, it builds on the very foundation and very 
concept of how our country works. The United States is the laboratory 
of democracy. The States are the laboratories of democracy. Let's make 
them the laboratories of energy development in this country. Why not? 
Let's make them the laboratories of energy development in this country, 
whether it is Wisconsin, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota or 
Wyoming. You name it. Different places have different strengths.
  When it comes to producing energy, let's empower them to produce the 
type of energy that works best in their respective State. It is 
bipartisan, it is inclusive, and it includes not only the Federal 
Government, but it includes the Federal Government in a way where they 
are working with the States and building on the very strength of our 
country.
  I know my time is limited. I will be back later today to talk about 
it some more.
  I want to leave with this point: It is not just about energy. It is 
about better environmental stewardship because we unleash the very 
investment that drives and deploys the new technology that produces 
more energy and does so with a better environmental stewardship.
  It is about a growing economy that creates revenues without raising 
taxes to help address the deficit and debt. It creates good-paying jobs 
that we need in this country.
  It is also about national security. Think about what is going on in 
Europe right now. Is the European Union going to join with us and 
impose sanctions on Russia? Are they? Do they have the will or are they 
concerned that 30 percent of all of the natural gas that goes to Europe 
comes from Russia and half of it goes through the Ukraine?
  Are they so concerned about their energy future that they are not 
willing to stand with us to do the things we need to do to make sure 
that an aggressor like Russia doesn't invade another sovereign country?
  So energy is very much about national security, and we can be energy 
secure in this country in very short order with the right approach.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Michigan.

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