[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12090]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                 TIME TO SIGN ENERGY DISCHARGE PETITION

  (Mr. McDERMOTT asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, the last speaker certainly makes a good 
case for wind power.
  There is an opportunity today for Members to sign the discharge 
petition to return this country to cost-based power, not power 
determined by gougers in the energy industry. We have seen on the west 
coast 400 percent profit for Texas companies selling energy. Now, 400 
percent profit is a little bit over the top. Most of us who believe in 
the free enterprise system think that maybe 10 or 20 percent is not too 
bad. But they want unlimited ability.
  Mr. Speaker, the oil dynasty of Cheney and Bush and Evans have 
selected the people to run the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. 
Whenever you hear anybody say FERC, they are talking about people 
appointed by the Bush people to control and allow the industry to 
actually not control the energy industry.
  Now, you would say it is a west coast problem, that it is always 
Democrats. New York is doing it now, and they are fearful of what it is 
going to be without cost-based power. It is time to sign the discharge 
petition.

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