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“ENERGY SECURITY” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Energy was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H2440-H2441 on March 13, 2007.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
ENERGY SECURITY
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of January 4, 2007, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Stearns) is recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, on September 19, 2002, in a Wall Street Journal editorial, former CIA Director James Woolsey described the central challenge we face in the global war on terrorism as the United States' dependence on imported oil. My colleagues, this dependence is providing our enemy with so much leverage that defeating terrorism has become significantly harder.
Let me quote from Mr. Woolsey: ``We are at war. We should start by asking what we can do as soon as possible to undercut our enemies' power. Other considerations should now follow, not lead. If we do not act now, we will leave major levers over our fate in the hands of regimes that have attacked us or have fallen under the sway of fanatics who spread hatred of the United States and, indeed, of freedom itself. For all of them, their power derives from their oil. It is time to break their sword.''
In order for the United States to effectively fight global terrorism and win in Iraq, we must first reduce our dangerous dependence on imported oil. Energy is the lifeblood of the United States and global economy. U.S. economic prosperity is closely tied to the availability of reliable and affordable supplies of energy. Since 1973, U.S. energy production has grown only 13 percent, while U.S. energy consumption has increased 30 percent. Even when significant increases in efficiency are taken into account, significant increases in demand are projected.
According to the Energy Information Agency, the United States, by 2025, is expected to need 44 percent more petroleum, 38 percent more natural gas, 43 percent more coal and 54 percent more electricity. The Department of Energy predicts by the year 2025, U.S. oil and natural gas demand will rise by 46 percent, with energy demand increasing 1 percent for every 2 percent increase in GDP.
Perhaps the most critical of all energy sources is oil. Just as President Bush said in his 2006 State of the Union speech, America is addicted to oil. A look at the numbers supports his claim. Currently, the United States imports about 60 percent of its oil. The Department of Energy projects this number will increase to 73 percent by the year 2025. Furthermore, world oil demand is expected to grow significantly over the next three decades, from 80 million barrels per day in 2003 to 98 million barrels per day in 2015 and then to 118 million barrels per day by the year 2030, according to the Energy Information Administration. This will place further strains on our quest for energy independence. To make matters worse, much of this imported oil is imported from unstable, anti-American countries, such as Venezuela, Algeria, and even Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, 26.5 percent of the United States' total supplied product comes from OPEC countries, accounting for 42 percent of the total amount imported. Thus, over a quarter of the United States oil product is controlled by an unaccountable cartel of unstable, oil-producing dictatorships.
Alarmingly, according to the Heritage Foundation, three-quarters of the world's supply of oil is controlled by unstable or hostile regimes, most of which are unsympathetic to investor and property rights. Fifty-
seven percent of world oil reserves are in the Middle East, 11 percent in Russia and Venezuela and 6 percent in Africa. The People's Republic of China just erected its first oil rigs in Cuba territorial waters in the Gulf of Mexico, barely 45 miles off the Florida coast of Miami.
The national security implications of having such a large amount of oil controlled by OPEC are great and serious. For example, in order to force changes in U.S. policy, OPEC countries could cut production, thereby raising the price of oil. The resulting political and economic pressure could force us to alter our policies in order to better suit the needs of these OPEC nations. U.S. dependence on imported sources of oil and gas has far-reaching economic and national security ramifications.
Some are willing to use oil as a tool to threaten United States national security objectives. Proclamations by al Qaeda and other terrorist groups that U.S. and western economies and their oil lifelines are legitimate targets make it clear that the oil and gas infrastructure is in peril. As James Woolsey said, we are aiding our enemies at the same time we are fighting them.
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