[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 13965]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



     POLITICS OVER POLICY IN THE PRESIDENT'S OIL RESERVE STRATEGY?

  (Mr. TERRY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, this administration has now proposed 
stockpiling 2 million barrels of heating oil for the Northeast. He 
justifies using our Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which is our Nation's 
national security emergency oil reserve, because of a ``national 
emergency facing the Northeast.''
  Mr. Speaker, I believe the national emergency seems to be that a 
certain senatorial candidate cannot get above 43 percent in the polls.
  There is no arguing that the oil reserves are low, but at the same 
time, the price of natural gas has doubled across this Nation, which is 
the primary heating source in my State of Nebraska. The President has 
never visited Nebraska, but let me assure this administration that it 
is also cold in Nebraska.
  Mr. Speaker, the American people can decide if this is another 
example of politics over policy.

                          ____________________