ENERGY POLICY ACT OF 2005--CONFERENCE REPORT
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Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, 13 years have passed between the time Congress passed national energy legislation and the conference report we are taking up today. This conference report is not perfect, and it does not go as far as I would have hoped in terms of moving the U.S. down a different energy path. It does, however, include a number of positive elements, including several relating to coal and clean coal technologies that I have supported for a number of years. But, if we wait another 13 years and continue to ignore the looming energy threats that remain unaddressed, we may find ourselves woefully behind the rest of the world.
If the U.S. is to remain competitive and keep pace with our growing energy demands, then we must take stock, as a Nation, of our energy security and make it a top national priority. We cannot achieve energy independence with continued incremental, piecemeal efforts. It is time to devote new innovation and ingenuity to energy policy and blaze a path forward. We need to be free of the chains of foreign oil. To do that, we must invest in the energy resources that we have here at home. Coal is at the heart of that effort.
By encouraging the cleaner, more efficient use of coal in powerplants and other facilities, we help to ensure jobs in West Virginia's coal communities for many years to come. At the same time, we must find more ways to utilize coal as an energy source in the 21st century. West Virginians know that, for the United States to be free of our heavy reliance on Middle Eastern oil, we must make investments in coal, biomass, and other domestic, power-producing resources. We must be prepared to make the hard decisions to make energy security a national priority, not a mere afterthought.
For many years, the Middle East has been a hotbed of tumult and strife. An underlying reason for our continued presence in this region is the protection of our oil lifeline. Unfortunately, even if the Congress passes this energy legislation, it will do little, if anything, to reduce our dependence on foreign energy. In fact, we will continue to become more dependent by the day. Instead of disentangling ourselves from this foreign oil dependency, we will be sinking our military and energy fortunes deeper and deeper into the sands of the Middle East.
West Virginians and Americans everywhere should understand that there are some very good features of this conference report, but they should not be fooled. Our citizens will see little change in terms of gas prices or natural gas prices. There will likely be few changes in our production or use of energy. I fear the U.S. will continue to ride down the same rocky road for years to come.
Regrettably, House Republicans also objected to including in the Energy conference report my commuter tax benefit to help rural workers who are paying exorbitant prices at the fuel pump. Big Oil, which is reaping huge windfalls from fuel prices this year, is denying modest relief to working Americans. This is but one of the many examples of how this bill sidesteps the difficult decisions that ultimately must be made to address energy costs, to reduce our reliance on foreign energy, to substantially improve our domestic energy supply and energy efficiency needs, and to deal with global climate change. We are doing little, if anything, to address seriously these critical challenges.
I am delighted to support the inclusion of certain targeted tax incentives that will help promote the next generation of clean coal technologies. I have been working on these issues for more than 6 years and am delighted that the Congress has recognized their value. This would include, for the first time, $1.3 billion to help fund the deployment of the ``next generation'' of powerplants, including integrated gasification combined cycle and advanced combustion-based powerplants. There is also $350 million for a new program to accelerate the use of coal and other domestic resources at industrial gasification facilities. I note that several important coal research, development, and demonstration programs, especially the clean coal technology demonstration program, have been reauthorized and improved upon in this conference report.
This legislation makes many promises to the country on energy policy. It makes promises to the men and women who pull the coal from the ground and to those who are finding ways to use that coal more cleanly and more efficiently. To make good on those promises, the administration must be willing to put financial support behind these initiatives. Will this administration do that? Is the President going to request the funding required in his budget to make the clean coal and other important energy programs a reality? In the end, the President will likely have a Rose Garden ceremony and press releases touting its accomplishments. But, given this administration's track record, is this energy bill simply a soapbox to stand on?
The final legislation before us is only a way station on a long journey and more work remains ahead. This bill is not the whole answer. It is a start, and I am committed to continuing to work toward that goal. I want to thank Senators DOMENICI and BINGAMAN for their continued diligence and hard work in this endeavor. I applaud their efforts to ensure that the consideration of this legislation was open and bipartisan from start to finish. I will vote to support H.R. 6, the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
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