Explore Available Energy Resources

Floor Speech

Explore Available Energy Resources

Mr. Speaker, let's talk about being put over a barrel of oil. In 2001, a barrel cost $23. When this majority came in, it was at $58, and now it is over $136. The trend line is bad.

I don't understand why we want to limit our ability to explore all the available energy resources. Why not go after the leases we have. Why not open new leases. Why not go in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Here is the OCS, off-limits by our mandate. We did it. The Congress said we can't go on the west coast. The Congress said we can't go on the east coast, and the Congress said we can't go on the east gulf. That is foolish at today's prices.

Let's use America's natural resource of coal. In Illinois alone, we have as much Btu as Saudi Arabia has in oil. Let's encourage coal-to-liquid technologies. Let's use solar and wind, and all of the above energy sources, man-made energy resources with American energy and U.S. jobs.

Source