[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 16448-16449]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        SOLVE THE ENERGY CRISIS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, another week has gone by, and we 
have taken no action whatsoever, no action whatsoever to solve the 
energy crisis. I listened to the majority leader during the 1-minute 
talking about what's going on next week as far as legislative action is 
concerned, and he said that even if there were more oil leases 
available, he said there are no drills available.
  Well, if there are no drills available and the oil companies feel 
that there is oil down there, they are going to make drills that would 
be available. The problem is on the oil leases that are available right 
now, the oil companies aren't finding sufficient oil to be able to put 
up a $2 billion oil platform to drill, and we are only using 3 percent 
of our Outer Continental Shelf for drilling purposes and for these 
leases.
  If we make more of the continental shelf available these oil 
companies are going to get out there, they are going to get these oil 
leases, and they will find oil. Geologically they will survey it. They 
will find oil, and they will drill. They will find the drilling 
capacity, they will find the drilling equipment, they will build the $2 
billion platforms, and they will drill. But they will have to make sure 
it's economically feasible, or they won't do that.
  You know, if we have more production, we are going to have lower gas 
prices, there is just no question about that. Every week that we go out 
of here like today, we are ending another week, we are going home, we 
haven't done anything to increase the supply which will lead to lower 
gas prices and lower energy prices.
  I listened to the hyperbole during these talks on the floor. I 
listened to everybody giving reasons why we are not doing this or why 
we are not doing that, and the fact of the matter is we are not doing 
anything, and the American people are still suffering. They are 
spending $70, $80, $90 just to fill their gas tanks. They don't know 
what they are going to do. They can't get to work, they can't take 
their kids to school. It's affecting everything that we buy, our 
clothes, our food, everything.
  As a result, we are facing not only energy problems, we are facing an 
economic problem, an inflationary problem. We are not doing a darn 
thing about it.
  We need to drill wherever we can to find oil, in the ANWR, if 
necessary, off the continental shelf. We need to open up the other 97 
percent of the continental shelf to drilling. If we do that I guarantee 
you, I guarantee there will be leases, and the oil companies will find 
the platforms necessary and the drilling equipment necessary to drill 
for that oil. If they can make money doing it, they are going to do it.
  The leases they have right now, if they are not going to find oil 
down there, it's not sufficient, they are not going to put a $2 billion 
platform down there and drill for that oil. That's why we need to open 
up more of these areas of the continental shelf for drilling.
  Remember, and I hope the American people listen to this, 97 percent 
of the continental shelf is not being explored or even allowed to be 
explored. That's terrible. We know we need energy, and we are sending 
$700 billion to the Saudis, to South America and other countries when 
we had that energy right here in America.
  Somebody said, well, it will take 10 years to get that oil to market 
if we drill for it. Well, I don't think it will take that long, but 
let's say it does. We need to get started sometime, and we were going 
to start in the 1970s, and we didn't do anything. We are in a worse 
situation today than when we had the oil embargo.
  We need to start. We need to move toward energy independence.
  I will submit to you that before the end of this session, before 
September 30, we have an opportunity to end the

[[Page 16449]]

moratorium on drilling off the continental shelf and elsewhere. The 
moratorium on drilling off on the continental shelf and elsewhere in 
this country expires September 30. The only way that moratorium can 
continue is if we pass legislation to continue it. So I believe, and I 
know that there will be legislation before this body and the end of 
September that will extend that moratorium.
  I would like to say to my colleagues, both Democrat and Republicans, 
we need to vote against that moratorium extension. If it's in a 
spending bill or any other kind of a bill, we need to stop that bill 
from being passed as long as that moratorium is in there, because the 
American people are demanding, demanding that we do something about 
this energy crisis. They are demanding that we move toward energy 
independence.
  They want alternative fuels. They want alternative sources of energy. 
They want solar, they want wind, they want all of that. We have seen 
all of that on television, but during this transition period, they want 
energy. The only way we are going to get it is to drill for gas and 
oil.
  We can do that if we end that moratorium. I would like to say to my 
colleagues, Democrat and Republican, let's get together in the next 
month, end that moratorium, not allow any legislation to go through 
that will extend that moratorium, so we can move toward energy 
independence.
  If you don't believe that the people in this country are concerned 
about it, go to any gas station in this country, the next week when you 
are home or next weekend when you are home, and you will find that 
everybody is madder than hell about this. I was getting gas the other 
day, and I heard a guy say to his child, ``Come here, son, do you want 
to help me spend some of your college education?''
  I am not kidding. He didn't know I was there. He had a pickup truck, 
and he said to his son, ``Come here, I want you to see how we are 
spending part of your college education.'' We need to move toward 
energy independence, we need to drill, and we need to do it now.

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