Comprehensive American Energy Security and Consumer Protection Act

Floor Speech

COMPREHENSIVE AMERICAN ENERGY SECURITY AND CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT -- (House of Representatives - September 16, 2008)

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Mr. SALI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, there has been a lot of discussion here and I think the main issue we are dealing with is how do we end our addiction to foreign oil. Can we drill our way out of this problem; can alternatives be used to replace crude oil. I think those are the two primary positions that are being bantered about on this floor.

As the American public is watching this debate, I am sure they must be quite baffled because both sides claim only they are correct. I think the answer, can we drill our way out of this problem, can alternatives be used to replace crude oil, the answer to both of those questions is probably ``kind of.''

Mr. Speaker, a couple of weeks ago I was at the Idaho National Laboratory. It is one of the premier nuclear and alternative energy research facilities in the U.S. Here is what the experts at the INL told me when I was there. They said wind energy is about a 2 percent energy solution. Solar is not much better, and it is a lot more expensive. They talked about hydrogen. Currently we generate hydrogen by burning natural gas. That actually loses energy. Today there is no good source for the carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide that they say is needed to develop other forms of alternative energy, unless we are going to burn coal, and coal is not included in this bill except that we are going to increase excise taxes on that coal.

How will we get enough hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide to make alternatives a reality? Well, the folks at the INL said we will need to have next generation nuclear reactor facilities, not today's light water reactors that people are seeking to permit today. Next generation reactors operate at higher temperatures, and at those temperatures, chemistry and the reactions that take place, they take on new characteristics and that will allow the generation of hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide in quantities that will make alternatives a reality.

Here is the problem. According to the Idaho National Laboratory, next generation nuclear facilities are two to three decades away from becoming a reality.

This bill does nothing to develop next generation nuclear reactors, and it doesn't really address the alternative energy in a meaningful way because of that. The bridge has to be made with crude oil and natural gas. The problem is this bill permanently locks up almost 90 percent of those offshore resources so it doesn't really address even our most limited need for crude oil.

Mr. Speaker, we need crude oil for more than just gas and oil. No plastics will ever be made from a windmill. No industrial chemicals will ever come from solar panels. No ink for printing. No asphalt that we need to make pavement to drive those electric cars and hybrid cars on. Well, Mr. Speaker, it just doesn't deal with those energies.

What does it deal with? Well, it increases taxes to the tune of about $18 billion. I wonder how many people in America believe that if we increase taxes on oil companies, that somehow that will cause them to reduce the price they charge for gas and oil. That is an absurd, absurd suggestion. In fact, what is going to happen is those taxes will go right down the pipeline, through the gas tank right into your gasoline tank where you will be paying higher prices for the gas and diesel that you need.

It was suggested earlier that we use so much energy in this country. You have all heard T. Boone Pickens on television say, gosh, we burn so much of this crude oil. I am not ashamed that we use a lot of energy in this country. It has made us the most prosperous Nation on the face of the planet, and it has allowed us to help essentially every other country on the face of the planet at one time or another. And America has proven time and time again that with our prosperity, we will also be generous to other countries at the time when they need it. Without that prosperity, we would not be able to have that generosity. Using energy makes us prosperous.

Just over a year ago, the Business Roundtable put out a report. Their conclusion was that to meet our energy needs for the future, we had better get our hands on every bit of energy we can from every source possible. That includes all of the alternatives. It includes nuclear. It includes crude oil and natural gas in increasing quantities. This bill does not get us there with any of those things.

I guess the question at this point is what kind of future do we want for our kids and our grandkids.

Mr. Speaker, ladies and gentlemen of this body, I am here to tell you that I want a future for my kids and grandkids where they will be prosperous. And for them to be prosperous, Mr. Speaker, we will need to get our hands on every bit of energy we can from every source possible, and this bill will not get that job done.

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