My Protest Speech

Op-Ed

My Protest Speech

Earlier today I gave a speech on the floor of the House of Representatives to have Speaker Pelosi come back from her five-week vacation and call a vote on energy reform to lower gas prices. Many of my colleagues, more than 100 of them, have also gone to the floor, even though the House Leadership has turned off the lights, extinguished the microphones and shut off the C-SPAN cameras. Here's a copy of what I said...

It's great to have all of you here today to listen to what I think is one of the most important debates that we've had in my time in congress: the idea of finally freeing up our resources.

I've been back in Iowa doing town meetings these past two weeks, and all I'm hearing about is the energy situation and the high price of gasoline, diesel fuel, and the impact that's having on our schools… having to cut back as far as teachers in the classroom. What with the high cost of energy today, it's the defining issue.

You're sitting in the floor of the House of Representatives. This is the People's House. Remember that. We represent the people here… that's why we have 435 of us. And what is outrageous, in my mind, is the fact that at least 49 percent of the people who are represented by Republicans are shut out, but the vast majority of Americans who agree with us—that we've got to be American independent on our energy issues—are being shut out of a vote also.

All we're asking for is the opportunity to say "Let's go up or down on the American Energy Act."

We've got to be very concerned about conserving our resources, to make sure that we're not wasting them. We've got to have tax credits for home insulation, credits for folks who want to buy a much more energy efficient vehicle that burns less gasoline… one that may be used as an alternative type of engine today. That's very important. We as Americans can be smart.

Part of our bill says that we will invest any royalties that we get from energy production into research and development for the future. We have the brightest—the best!—scientists, engineers, technicians anywhere in the world, right here. We can solve this problem. We can do it as Americans. And we can have the investment; we can have the will to get it done… if we'll just simply allow a vote. It will happen.

We talked about alternative energy. In Iowa we have somewhat of an interest in things like ethanol… in soy diesel. They're part of the solution. But they're just a part of the solution. We've got to have wind, and if you go to Iowa today, my congressional district, which is 28 counties through central Iowa up through northeast Iowa, you'll see windmill farms all over the place... it's a great thing. We've got to have solar, and it's good, but it's not going to be the total solution. We've got to go also with things like nuclear. You know, one nuclear plant with 1000 kilowatts of production... you know how many solar panels it would take to be comparable? 3,300,000 solar panels to replace one nuclear plant. We've got to find a way so we can build these nuclear plants so we can have them around the country, we can have them diverse across this nation so that we're not so reliant… relying so much on the fossil fuels that we have too much reliance on today. We get down to the fact that this country and our refining capacity… we have not built a new refinery in this country for the last 30 years… you think about it... 30 years ago since we built our last refinery... we've increased production in the ones we have, but because of the regulations, because of local zoning, things like that, we have not been able to build new refineries.

And what we need to do is diversify around the country so that we're not in the hurricane alley down there and so subject to the storms and the conditions in just that one area... we've got to have refineries scattered throughout the country.

This is about American energy independence.

We also have to understand that for the next 10 to 15 years we're going to continue to be very very dependent on gas to run our economy; that's gasoline at the pump.

And if there's one thing that affects my family, my kids, and who I have, thankfully, four grandchildren… they like to take them places, go on vacation, and they've had to cut back dramatically this year. And it's not just the cost of the gas at the pump, it affects everything that they buy at the store the grocery, anything that has to be shipped, anything that is going to be packaged, it dramatically increases the cost of those goods, and it's having a real impact ion those families and their lifestyles.

So we have got to go after the resources we have in such abundance, and we can do it. We're smart enough as Americans to do it in an environmentally conservationist way that will help us become independent, but also do it in the right way.

We have tremendous reserves up in Alaska; we have offshore that we can go after… today… if we were just allowed to have a vote. And this is about American oil, this is about American natural gas, I don't know how many people are aware that we can only drill for gas on about 3 percent of the offshore. 97% of the gas there is prohibited from drilling. When we look at the oil around the world ... and everybody talks about big oil companies and how they control the market, 94 percent of the oil in the world today is controlled by other nations. You think about that. Who are those folks, Saudi Arabia? They don't always have our best interest in mind. How about Venezuela? Hugo Chavez. Is that our good friend down there? I don't think so. If we will actually go after the American oil that's so readily available right here in this country, and the American natural gas, we don't have to be as dependent on those people who really don't have our best interest in mind.

So I would just ask each and every one of you to do your part, because you're in the people's house. Talk to your representative; make sure that they know that you want a vote. Now… if it doesn't pass, it doesn't pass. But we should be able to have a vote in this House of Representatives to make sure that we make sure we have your voices heard on this floor of the House. And we can do that with your help. Please call the number talk to your representatives, and we can in fact have American independence, create really good high paying American jobs right here, and we can in fact have a great future for all of these kids out here, grandkids, my grandkids. That's what this is all about. Think about it and act. And thank you all for being here today.

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