WORKING TOGETHER ON ENERGY POLICY -- (House of Representatives - December 07, 2000)

[Page: H12034]

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   (Mr. KNOLLENBERG asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

   Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Speaker, despite years of record economic expansion, there are storm clouds gathering on the horizon. One of those dark clouds is American energy policy, which for the last 8 years has been, in effect, an anti-energy policy, thwarting domestic energy supplies and driving up costs with needless regulations.

   As winter sets in, natural gas and crude oil prices are at record levels and it is the American worker who must shoulder these increases. As Governor Bush points out, we need to unite across party lines and work together for the American people. Formulating a new domestic energy policy is a perfect place to start.

   Together we can ensure that new energy technologies receive proper R&D funding. We can reduce our over-reliance on foreign oil through environmentally sound domestic production. We can reduce pollution without resorting to flawed emissions trading schemes; and we can combine forces to see that clean coal, natural gas, nuclear, and hydro continue to provide the reliable and safe energy that drives the U.S. economy.

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