[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12091]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                      BECOMING ENERGY SELF-RELIANT

  (Mr. REHBERG asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. REHBERG. Mr. Speaker, let us put all the political posturing and 
gamesmanship aside and be honest: the major causes of high energy 
prices this summer will be the lack of domestic energy production and 
the absence of new investments in the electricity generation facilities 
needed to meet the growth experienced over the last decade.
  That is why becoming more energy self-reliant is so important. If we 
want an uninterrupted supply of energy, then we need more American oil, 
American gas, and clean coal. In Montana alone, we have several hundred 
years' worth of natural gas and coal deposits. Current estimates place 
coal resources for eastern Montana at about 50 billion tons, two-thirds 
of which is low-sulfur, clean-burning coal.
  In developing these resources, it is important that we keep in mind 
that America has some of the highest environmental standards and most 
advanced technology in the world. Our strict laws do a good job of 
ensuring our environment is protected.
  The bottom line is this: relying upon our own energy resources is 
cleaner and safer than importing energy from countries with inferior 
technology and scant environmental oversight.

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