[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12749]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 SUPPORT GROWING DOMESTIC ENERGY NEEDS

  (Mr. GOHMERT asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, an 83-year-old woman told me she is paying 
over $400 a month now for her energy bills, and she may end up 
finishing her life burning wood, like she started it.
  The fact is, God has blessed this Nation with an abundance of 
solutions in the form of natural resources that can support growing 
domestic energy needs. Within 3 years, we can get a million to a 
million and a half barrels of oil from ANWR. Some have indicated there 
are three times the amount of oil left in the entire Middle East, three 
times that amount in shale in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah, but they 
can't get to it.
  The limited areas that are available for lease have an 8-year lease, 
and they are saying it takes right at 8 years to get all the permits. 
Yes, there is some property under lease that they can't produce. There 
is some that doesn't produce. That's the energy business.
  But we need to help hardworking Americans. I don't understand what 
the majority leadership has against good union jobs. We are losing them 
every day in our district because energy prices are too high, and I 
want to keep those good union jobs.

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