[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12092]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                      COMPREHENSIVE ENERGY POLICY

  (Mrs. BIGGERT asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, when politicians talk about needing a 
comprehensive energy policy instead of price controls, I bet a lot of 
Americans wonder what we are talking about.
  Well, consider this fact: ninety-seven percent of the power plants 
currently under construction are natural gas-fired power plants needed 
to meet the increased demand for electricity. Natural gas that is 
typically produced during the summer for storage and later used during 
the winter is, instead, being used for electricity generation. 
Basically, we use natural gas to keep our electricity rates lower in 
the summer, but in the end we pay higher rates on our natural gas use 
in the summer. Not a very comprehensive policy, is it?
  President Bush has proposed the first comprehensive energy plan in a 
decade that will increase efficiency, improve how our energy is 
delivered, diversify our energy sources, protect the environment, and 
assist low-income Americans through these current price increases.
  Americans want affordable energy and a clean, safe environment.

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