[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 68 (Wednesday, May 7, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2769-S2770]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           ENERGY EFFICIENCY

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, this is the first time since 2007 the 
Senate has taken up and considered an energy bill. I am pleased we are 
finally discussing this important issue. I hope we will also take time 
to talk about our country's recent boom in oil and gas production.
  In the years since our last energy debate in the Senate, the United 
States has transitioned from a position of inordinate dependence on 
foreign energy sources to become one of the largest energy producers in 
the world today. Much of this is the result of technological 
innovation, and we must do everything possible to make it easier for 
domestic companies to access, refine, and transport the oil and gas 
that has become available with recent advances in technology.
  In my view, energy efficiency and industrial competitiveness should 
not be addressed without also addressing energy production. The two are 
necessarily interrelated, and it makes no sense to treat each in 
isolation. But that isn't happening today. As a result, we are missing 
a critical opportunity to have an important debate on how best to 
invest our Nation's resources to support domestic energy production.
  The bill we have been discussing establishes new programs promoting 
energy efficiencies for buildings and manufacturing. It authorizes new 
spending for career skills and workforce training. But instead of 
simply devoting additional resources to energy efficiency programs, we 
should first understand the impact of existing energy sector programs 
administered by the Federal Government and, most critically, have a 
serious conversation about broader energy policy.
  If the Senate actually functioned the way it was designed and I was 
given the opportunity, I would have called up amendment No. 3015, which 
would eliminate some of the duplication and overlap which has become so 
prevalent as the size and scope of the Federal Government continues to 
expand.
  Our Federal bureaucracy has grown to the point that government 
agencies are simply unaware many of the programs they administer are 
duplicated by similar--and sometimes nearly identical--programs 
administered in other Federal agencies.
  The Federal Leviathan has become so large and complex that the left 
hand literally doesn't know what the right hand is doing, especially 
when it comes to spending taxpayer moneys. This is simply unacceptable.
  Our national government has grown so unwieldy that coordination 
between its individual parts cannot be assumed and often must instead 
be mandated. This phenomenon is certainly the case with many of the 
programs that would receive funding if this bill was enacted as 
currently written.
  Currently, the Department of Labor, the Department of Education, and 
the Department of Energy each administer

[[Page S2770]]

programs that fund training and education targeted specifically at the 
energy sector. I am sure the Federal bureaucrats in each of these three 
agencies are trying to do as best they can. But it can't possibly be 
necessary or, for that matter, wise for all three agencies to be doing 
the same thing.
  The obvious solution is for the Department of Energy to ensure there 
are no federally funded programs with the same stated objectives as the 
programs they are already administering.
  My amendment requires the Secretary of Energy to coordinate with the 
Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Education prior to issuing any 
career skills and workforce training funding opportunity announcements 
to ensure that these three departments are not issuing redundant and 
overlapping grants.
  We cannot keep spending more taxpayer dollars in the same inefficient 
ways. Energy efficiency is important, but far more important is our 
Nation's overall energy policy. We should be discussing energy 
efficiency only as part of that critical debate.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Louisiana is recognized.

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