[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 5]
[House]
[Pages 6132-6133]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            ENERGY SECURITY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of 
January 4, 2007, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Stearns) is recognized 
during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, on September 19, 2002, in a Wall Street 
Journal editorial, former CIA Director James Woolsey described the 
central challenge we face in the global war on terrorism as the United 
States' dependence on imported oil. My colleagues, this dependence is 
providing our enemy with so much leverage that defeating terrorism has 
become significantly harder.
  Let me quote from Mr. Woolsey: ``We are at war. We should start by 
asking what we can do as soon as possible to undercut our enemies' 
power. Other considerations should now follow, not lead. If we do not 
act now, we will leave major levers over our fate in the hands of 
regimes that have attacked us or have fallen under the sway of fanatics 
who spread hatred of the United States and, indeed, of freedom itself. 
For all of them, their power derives from their oil. It is time to 
break their sword.''
  In order for the United States to effectively fight global terrorism 
and win in Iraq, we must first reduce our dangerous dependence on 
imported oil. Energy is the lifeblood of the United States and global 
economy. U.S. economic prosperity is closely tied to the availability 
of reliable and affordable supplies of energy. Since 1973, U.S. energy 
production has grown only 13 percent, while U.S. energy consumption has 
increased 30 percent. Even when significant increases in efficiency are 
taken into account, significant increases in demand are projected.
  According to the Energy Information Agency, the United States, by 
2025, is expected to need 44 percent more petroleum, 38 percent more 
natural gas, 43 percent more coal and 54 percent more electricity. The 
Department of Energy predicts by the year 2025, U.S. oil and natural 
gas demand will rise by 46 percent, with energy demand increasing 1 
percent for every 2 percent increase in GDP.
  Perhaps the most critical of all energy sources is oil. Just as 
President Bush said in his 2006 State of the Union speech, America is 
addicted to oil. A look at the numbers supports his claim. Currently, 
the United States imports about 60 percent of its oil. The Department 
of Energy projects this number will increase to 73 percent by the year 
2025. Furthermore, world oil demand is expected to grow significantly 
over the next three decades,

[[Page 6133]]

from 80 million barrels per day in 2003 to 98 million barrels per day 
in 2015 and then to 118 million barrels per day by the year 2030, 
according to the Energy Information Administration. This will place 
further strains on our quest for energy independence. To make matters 
worse, much of this imported oil is imported from unstable, anti-
American countries, such as Venezuela, Algeria, and even Saudi Arabia. 
Furthermore, 26.5 percent of the United States' total supplied product 
comes from OPEC countries, accounting for 42 percent of the total 
amount imported. Thus, over a quarter of the United States oil product 
is controlled by an unaccountable cartel of unstable, oil-producing 
dictatorships.
  Alarmingly, according to the Heritage Foundation, three-quarters of 
the world's supply of oil is controlled by unstable or hostile regimes, 
most of which are unsympathetic to investor and property rights. Fifty-
seven percent of world oil reserves are in the Middle East, 11 percent 
in Russia and Venezuela and 6 percent in Africa. The People's Republic 
of China just erected its first oil rigs in Cuba territorial waters in 
the Gulf of Mexico, barely 45 miles off the Florida coast of Miami.
  The national security implications of having such a large amount of 
oil controlled by OPEC are great and serious. For example, in order to 
force changes in U.S. policy, OPEC countries could cut production, 
thereby raising the price of oil. The resulting political and economic 
pressure could force us to alter our policies in order to better suit 
the needs of these OPEC nations. U.S. dependence on imported sources of 
oil and gas has far-reaching economic and national security 
ramifications.
  Some are willing to use oil as a tool to threaten United States 
national security objectives. Proclamations by al Qaeda and other 
terrorist groups that U.S. and western economies and their oil 
lifelines are legitimate targets make it clear that the oil and gas 
infrastructure is in peril. As James Woolsey said, we are aiding our 
enemies at the same time we are fighting them.

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