July 27, 2007

Energy is a national security issue – not a partisan political issue.  We must move beyond partisan rhetoric and pass sensible energy legislation that promotes all sources of energy, increases our domestic capacity, reduces the cost of energy, and promotes technologies to make fossil fuels, including coal, cleaner and more efficient.  We should never use the word “coal” alone – we should say “clean coal.”

Much of the legislation being proposed turns a blind eye to the reality that our economy depends on fossil fuels, and opponents of oil and gas continue to push legislation to raise taxes on our domestic energy producers and refiners.  Making American energy more expensive defies logic.   

We import around 60 percent of our oil from OPEC countries, many of which have less than stable governments that shield our enemies and oppose our way of life.  We find ourselves overly dependent on these countries to supply the energy we need.  The fact is, oil is so important to our way of life that, if necessary, we will continue to send our young people overseas to fight for energy in unstable regimes.

Comprehensive energy solutions must include all sources of energy.  We need to invest in research and development for technologies that promote renewable and alternative sources of energy and technologies that make existing energy sources cleaner, more affordable and more efficient.  At the same time, we must continue to support the domestic oil and gas industry in order to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

New technologies are needed to affordably tap the nearly 50 billion barrels of technically recoverable oil remaining in the United States and the 55 years of natural gas resources in the Lower 48 States.  I am pleased that more than 23 research universities and 4 not-for-profit research institutions are actively engaged in the implementation of the Ultra-deepwater and Unconventional Natural Gas Research and Development Program, which I introduced several years ago and Congress approved.  This program, included in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, will develop technologies to drill in ultra-deep areas of the Gulf of Mexico and unconventional onshore regions.

The strongest supporters of the program are universities and small independent producers, not “big oil,” and the program pays for itself through funding from royalty revenues.  The colleges and universities produce the technology for reaching the depths of the Gulf and bringing to the top reserves that we know are there and can’t mine without new technology.  The institutions are paid by pledging the known reserves to pay for their R&D work.  Thus, we are pledging known but unavailable energy for technology to make it available – all at little or no cost to the taxpayer. 

In addition, a February 2006 report by the Department of the Interior estimates there are  reserves of 8.5 billion barrels of oil and 29.3 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in the Outer Continental Shell (OCS) alone.  Drilling for oil and gas in the OCS has been prohibited in all offshore areas except Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico since the 1980s.  This policy should be re-visited in order to increase domestic capacity

The oil industry works just like other sectors of the economy, through the laws of supply and demand.  Demand is increasing and has been for years, yet we are not increasing our domestic output.  Refineries are operating at near-capacity, yet no new refinery has been built since 1976.  Congress needs to realize that fossil fuels are going to continue to be our major source of energy for decades to come, and energy policy should reflect this reality.

As a senior Member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce and a representative of an energy-producing State, I have long supported our fossil fuel industry – an industry that has been the backbone of our national security throughout the Twentieth Century.  Appropriate regulations and oversights are in place to prevent abuses – and we continue to monitor any activities that might suggest price-gouging.

As Ranking Member of the Science and Technology Committee, I also strongly support a diverse portfolio of investments in both short-term and long-term energy research and development.  To that end, I have worked with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to promote investments in renewable and alternative sources of energy that will one day provide energy on a widespread scale for all Americans. 

However, it will be years, if not decades, before the investments made today in alternative and renewable energy can help America achieve energy independence.  In the meantime, we must be realistic about what makes our cars run and our light bulbs glow.  We must not legislate to make headlines.  We need to build on comprehensive energy policies that recognize the importance of all energy sources, including fossil fuels, to ensure national energy security.