BACKGROUND

As the summer of 2001 demonstrated, the United States faces a number of challenges on the energy front.  As gas prices rose, it became glaringly obvious that the U.S. is far too dependent on foreign sources of oil for its energy needs.  The increasingly unstable situation in the Middle East has only further proven the need to lessen this dependence.

THIS CONGRESS

Current energy problems can largely be blamed on years of neglect of a long-term energy strategy.  For the first time in a generation, President Bush laid out the framework for such a plan in his National Energy Policy Report last year.  Last August the House passed the majority of this plan in the form of H.R. 4, the Securing America's Future Energy Act of 2001.  H.R. 4 begins solving U.S. energy problems by funding research of cleaner and more efficient ways to utilize existing resources, expanding the use of ethanol, biodiesel, and other innovative solutions, and increasing domestic energy exploration.

The Senate passed their version of a national energy policy in April.  We are now working out the differences between the House and Senate bills in conference committee.  I am pleased to have the opportunity to serve as a conferee for the House during this conference.

As a conferee, I will be pushing for the increased use of renewable fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel.  These alternative fuels offer an excellent way of reducing our dependence on foreign sources of oil, while at the same time improving our environment and helping America's farmers and rural communities.  That is why I am a cosponsor of H.R. 2423, the Renewable Fuels for Energy Security Act of 2001.  Very simply, H.R. 2423 would create a renewable fuel standard that would increase the percentage of renewable fuels in the U.S. motor vehicle fuel supply from 0.8 percent in 2002 to 5 percent in 2016.  Under this scenario, ethanol increases from 1.8 billion to 15.2 billion gallons in 2016 and biodiesel from 35 million to 809 million gallons.  In 2016, 5% renewable fuels would displace the annual equivalent of 620 million barrels of crude oil, or 4.4 billion total barrels of crude oil between 2002 and 2016.  That equates to displacing more than 600,000 barrels per day by 2016, slightly more than what we import each day today from Iraq.

H.R. 2423 provides exciting opportunities for farmers to contribute to our energy security, while providing economic stimulus to rural America.

I am also a cosponsor of H.R. 4843, a bill that would provide a blender's tax credit or excise tax reduction of 1 cent per percent of biodiesel in a gallon of diesel fuel.  For example, a gallon of 10% biodiesel/90% diesel blend would qualify for either the 10 cent blender's credit or the 10 cent excise tax reduction.  This bill fulfills one component of the recently passed Minnesota statute requiring that all diesel fuel sold in the state contain at least a 2 percent blend of biodiesel.  This mandate does not go into effect until the federal or state government passes a 2 to 3 cent per gallon tax credit on 2% biodiesel blends and/or the date February 28, 2005 occurs.  H.R. 4843 would fulfill this requirement (a 2 % blend would qualify for a 2 cent credit).

Other forms of renewable energy are also important as we move forward with a national energy plan.  Wind energy is growing in popularity for good reason.  Wind energy production has no negative effect on humans or the environment and is especially viable in Minnesota, which is one of the windiest states in the country.  I am a cosponsor of H.R. 876, which would extend the credit for electricity produced from a qualified wind facility for 5 years.

Nuclear energy is another important part of our national energy portfolio.  I am pleased that the Senate recently voted to move forward with the Yucca Mountain nuclear repository after several months of stalling.  I wrote the following column about the Yucca Mountain Project prior to the Senate's vote:

After 14 years and $6.8 billion worth of studies, I am pleased that the Bush Administration has decided to move forward with the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository in Nevada.  This is an important step toward fulfilling the promise made by the federal government to Minnesotans and all those who currently live with nuclear waste in their communities.

At present, there are 103 commercial nuclear reactors in 31 states.  These sites currently store their nuclear waste on-site.  In 1982 Congress passed the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA), which promised that the federal government would dispose of commercial spent fuel and federally generated radioactive waste, and set 1998 as the goal for project completion.  The NWPA calls for disposal of the waste in a repository in a deep geologic formation that is unlikely to be disturbed for thousands of years.  In 1987, the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act restricted DOE's repository site studies to Yucca Mountain, stipulating that if the site proves unsuitable, DOE must return to Congress for further instructions.

Study after study has confirmed the safety of the Yucca Mountain site.  A 2001 National Academy of Sciences report stated that "After four decades of study, the geological repository option remains the only scientifically credible, long-term solution for safely isolating waste without having to rely on active management."

In the future, new technologies can certainly play a role in the handling of nuclear waste.  The House energy bill, the Securing America's Future Energy Act, would establish a spent nuclear fuel "recycling" research and development program.  Such a recycling program could reduce the volume and long-term toxicity of nuclear waste.  Experts believe we can destroy plutonium in the waste through nuclear fission.  However, a repository remains the best option for storage of nuclear waste in the near term.

I am disappointed that Senate Majority Leader Daschle has expressed opposition to the Yucca Mountain project.  He recently called the Administration's endorsement "unfortunate and premature."  It's time Senator Daschle and others who oppose the project will recognize the important role that nuclear energy plays in our nation's electricity production and the immediate need for a national nuclear waste repository.

We must act now to approve the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository.  The federal government is already 12 years behind on its promise to store nuclear waste.  It is time to live up to that promise.

HELPFUL ENERGY LINKS

Department of Energy

House Energy & Commerce Committee
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee

Renewable Fuels Association
American Petroleum Institute
National Biodiesel Board
Yucca Mountain Project

The Energy Balance of Corn Ethanol

MORE LINKS

U.S. House of Representatives

Speaker of the House: J. Dennis Hastert
House Majority Leader: Dick Armey
House Majority Whip: Tom DeLay
House Republican Conference Chairman: J.C. Watts
House Policy Committee Chairman: Chris Cox

THOMAS (a division of the Library of Congress)

U.S. Senate

The White House

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