[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13172]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         ENERGY DIVERSIFICATION

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                          HON. MARC A. VEASEY

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 2, 2013

  Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, energy is of vital importance to our Nation. 
It is the cornerstone of our economy, allowing for the everyday 
happenings of our lives to go uninterrupted. Because it is so 
critically important, we must have steady and abundant sources of 
energy for our consumption. This is crucial not only to our economy, 
but to our national security.
  Investments in our resources must be strategic, well thought out, and 
establish a stable supply for our future. The only way to ensure both 
stability and abundance is through diversification of our varying 
resources. Any financial expert would advise their clients that 
diversification is key when investing funds in our financial system. 
The same is true in regard to our energy sector. While Republicans 
continue to push bills targeted to a single resource, they fail to come 
up with a strategic plan that will encompass all forms of energy 
resources including hydrocarbons and renewables.
  While I believe that we cannot leave out any source in attempting to 
attain our energy goals, bills such as H.R. 2231, the Offshore Energy 
and Jobs Act leverage all our activity to one type of fuel, 
analogously, putting all of our eggs in one basket. I believe oil and 
gas will continue to play a role in our economy in the near future. I 
agree that responsible and sensible drilling should continue to take 
place. If we look at my home State of Texas, we can see that oil and 
gas have been key to keeping our economy strong through the tumultuous 
years of the Great Recession. But, oil and gas are not the only fuel 
source we are able to utilize for energy production in Texas. In 
western Texas, winds howl through the fields and we have made use of 
this great natural resource by placing wind farms on land to collect 
this type of kinetic energy. This is an example of how we can utilize 
hydrocarbon resources and take advantage of clean renewable resources 
at our disposal.
  Let's put aside partisan bickering and come together on a true energy 
plan that will address our country's future needs. Bills that simply 
give lip-service to increasing our energy supply such as the Offshore 
Energy and Jobs Act, will never be signed into law, and are not 
plausible for us to be considering. My no vote for the Offshore Energy 
and Jobs Act was not a condemnation of drilling activities off of our 
shores, but rather a recognition that we need a comprehensive, 
responsible, and environmentally sound energy plan for our future that 
can be passed by the Senate and signed by the President.

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