[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 8]
[House]
[Pages 11063-11064]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                               GAS PRICES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moran) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MORAN of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, every year I conduct town hall 
meetings in each of the 69 counties that comprise the First District of 
Kansas. I want to hear what's on the minds of my constituents and 
receive my marching orders that I bring back to Washington, D.C.
  And so now for the 12th year, I've made the rounds, some 5,000 miles 
with 69 town hall meetings, and I'm here on the floor tonight to visit 
one of those issues that has certainly been raised by Kansas voices, 
and I want to make certain that those voices are heard and that the 
commonsense that my constituents have is part of the debate on the 
issues that we face here in the Nation's capital.
  While the issues that Kansans talk to me about every year--they 
change I guess from year to year a bit--one thing remains the same. 
Folks want to see good things happen in their own communities, and they 
want to see good things happen in their country.
  This year, the issue I heard the most about was the high cost of 
energy. I heard from Kansans who can't take much more pain at the pump. 
Right now, prices which are expected only to increase are too high for 
Kansans, and it's past time in their opinion, and mine as well, for 
Congress to pay attention.
  Farmers, truckers, manufacturers, teachers, seniors, all shared with 
me that something needs to change or they just can't make it. This is 
what I heard all across our State. Kansans are trying to get by, and 
their employers are struggling to keep them employed.
  And it's not just about economics. It's about our foreign policy. We 
can look at the nightly news and see that our own foreign policy is 
distorted because of national security issues that are presented by the 
fact that we're at the mercy of oil-rich countries, many of them who 
despise us.
  Kansans understand that technology changes with time and so should 
environmental and energy policies. Exploring and drilling can be done 
with limited environmental impact. China, with Cuba's permission, is 
tapping our natural resources, our natural gas fields, right off our 
own coasts, where our companies are banned. They are banned even with 
advanced technologies and a strong commitment to see that there is no 
ecological disaster.
  While I support increasing the domestic supply of oil and gas, I know 
it's not the only answer. We need to meet our country's energy needs in 
a diverse way. It's capturing the power of the sun. It's harnessing the 
wind that blows across my State of Kansas. It's using heat from within 
the Earth to generate electricity. All of these and many more energy 
sources are completely renewable. Renewable energy can create jobs at 
home and help our economy, improve our environment, and reduce our 
dependence upon foreign oil.
  Energy conservation can also help. Too many of us have gotten away 
from the things that we always knew. Growing up, it was considered a 
sin in my family to leave the lights on when you weren't in the room. 
We need to get back to that mentality of being responsible with our 
energy use.
  Across Kansas, folks are recognizing the benefits of conservation. 
Farmers are transitioning to no-till practices, which reduce the number 
of times the tractor passes through the field. Commuters are 
carpooling. Every gallon that we conserve, every degree we don't heat 
or cool, every empty room that doesn't have a light on, helps us reduce 
the demand.
  I'm taking steps in my own congressional office to reduce energy use.

[[Page 11064]]

  Tonight, I'm on the floor delivering a message from Kansans, like 
Brian and Laura Velasquez from the small town of Reading, Kansas, on 
the east side of my district:
  ``Dear Representative Moran, we are a middle class Kansas family. It 
has become more difficult the past few years for us to make ends meet 
in spite of increased income. Since our lifestyle has not changed, the 
main explanation has to be the fallout from the cost of fuel. We are 
not the only ones in this predicament. The U.S. is at the mercy of too 
many oil-rich nations that are not concerned about our welfare. This 
needs to change now.''
  I agree with my constituents. It's clear that Americans want Congress 
to develop policies that increase the supply of energy, and they want 
Congress to encourage the development of new fuel sources. Until the 
supply of energy, renewable or fossil fuels, increases, prices will 
only continue to rise.
  We must work together, not just with words but in action to promote 
energy conservation, develop domestic production of oil and natural 
gas, and aggressively pursue alternative fuels. Let all Americans know 
we hear their concerns and we will act.

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