[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 8175]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



               LOOKING AT ISSUES REGARDING ENERGY POLICY

  (Mr. SMITH of Michigan asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SMITH of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow the President is going 
to announce this administration's energy policy. I say bravo. For the 
last 8 years, like the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Stearns) mentioned, 
we have not had an energy policy except close to the election, former 
President Clinton released some of the strategic oil reserves. Of 
course, that only made a short-term difference. Petroleum imports over 
the last 8 years have risen from 50 percent of our need to 58 percent.
  We are now faced with a dramatic and challenging future as we try to 
reduce our dependence on imported oil, especially from OPEC. So the 
opportunity to look at some of the other oil-producing countries in the 
world is something we must pursue. But even more than that, as chairman 
of the Subcommittee on Research, we must look at renewable and 
alternative sources of energy including clean coal technology.
  We must push for the kind of research necessary to increase 
efficiency and conservation in this country.
  I think also it is time to review President Clinton's increase of 4.3 
cents on the gas tax that he implanted in 1993 to be a temporary 
measure for deficit reduction. The balanced budget is accomplished; let 
us discontinue that tax increase even if we maintain the Highway Trust 
Fund.

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