[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 17544]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            DEMOCRATS NOT MOVING TOWARDS ENERGY INDEPENDENCE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Sali) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SALI. Mr. Speaker, every Member of this body recognizes the honor 
our constituents have reposed in us in allowing us to serve them here. 
For me to represent the people of my hometown, my home county, the 
entire western part of my State in the House of Representatives is an 
extraordinary honor.
  Like all my colleagues, I try to remember why my constituents sent me 
here. Perhaps Thomas Jefferson captured best what our service here as 
Members of Congress should really be about, and I quote. ``A wise and 
frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own 
pursuits in industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth 
of labor and the bread it has earned.'' This philosophy is not 
reflected in the priorities of the new majority which, interestingly, 
celebrates Thomas Jefferson as its founder.
  It has appeared to me over the past 6 months the priorities of the 
new majority are increasing government spending, growing the Federal 
bureaucracy and deepening America's dependence on foreign fuels.
  In the past 3 months of the second quarter of this year, the new 
majority has approved more than $80 billion in new spending, new 
spending for programs, including a proposal to spend Idahoans' hard-
earned tax dollars to pay off the student loans of practicing 
attorneys. At a time when the national debt is out of control, 
authorizing $80 billion in new spending just cannot be seen as fiscally 
responsible.
  This new majority has also proposed an increase in Federal 
bureaucracy. Just recently I was in a hearing discussing legislation 
that would add yet another layer of red tape to Federal agencies in 
order to improve customer service. Adding another layer of government 
bureaucracy is far from frugal, but more ironically, since when has 
more government ever improved government? Since when has adding more 
government ever improved government?
  Another priority of the new majority is the energy bill, which I've 
been calling the ``no energy'' bill. America should be moving towards 
energy independence. America's economy growth, Idaho's manufacturing 
and agriculture future and our families' ability to make ends meet are 
all intertwined. The new Democrat majority, however, is not moving 
towards energy independence. Rather, the ``no energy'' bill will only 
serve to increase America's dependence on foreign fuels.
  In their bill, our friends across the aisle propose to curtail nearly 
all forms of domestic exploration and development, including resources 
of ANWR, natural gas reserves, offshore drilling reserves, oil shale 
deposits, nuclear power and hydropower. Such a policy can only increase 
America's reliance on foreign fuel. Instead, America should be fully 
engaged in exploration and development of domestic energy.
  This exploration and development should be coupled with the 
development of alternative energy. The majority, however, proposes to 
bury the development of alternative biomass energy in a myriad of legal 
challenges and bureaucracy surrounding the so-called Clinton 
administration Roadless Rule.
  The new majority's assault on energy development does not end there, 
instead extending the assault to one of the most green energies, wind 
energy. The new Democrat majority recently held a hearing to give ear 
to complaints that wind energy causes fatalities among the bird and bat 
populations of this country. Now, holding a hearing on bird and bat 
fatalities from wind energy does not just sound absurd; it is, 
particularly when you consider that many more times birds are killed by 
office windows, cars and trucks, and, of course, cats than by 
windmills. What's next, outlawing sky scrapers? Outlawing cars and 
trucks?
  America's energy crisis must be solved. Continued reliance on foreign 
energy while simultaneously curtailing domestic development and 
exploration will only result in higher and higher fuel prices at the 
pump. That is an unacceptable result, and Congress must be committed to 
pursuing policies to reduce our dependence on foreign fuel.
  Unfortunately, the priorities of the new majority, as evidenced over 
the second quarter, are not Idaho's priorities, and consequently, they 
are not my priorities. In my view, Congress must make it a priority to 
cut spending, making the tough choices to live within its means. 
Congress must make it a priority to shape bureaucracy in Federal 
Government. And Congress must work to solve the energy crisis by 
providing for domestic exploration and development.

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