The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“NOMINATIONS” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Energy was published in the Senate section on pages S631-S632 on Jan. 29, 2001.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
NOMINATIONS
Senator Spencer Abraham to be Secretary of Energy
Mr. BYRD. Madam President, I supported the nomination of Senator Spencer Abraham as the next Secretary of Energy, and I look forward to working with him in his new position. While I know that Senator Abraham will be facing a host of new issues at the Department of Energy, I welcome his appointment.
I believe that Senator Abraham has a commitment to address the many complicated, intertwining energy, environmental, and economic questions that he will be faced with on a daily basis as Energy Secretary. In recent years, the Department of Energy has been rocked by high profile scandals and security breaches and criticism for failing to address compounding energy policy problems. The Department of Energy has longstanding internal problems regarding agency morale, a complicated system of laboratories, the cleanup of DOE's nuclear complex, and competition between fuel and industry interests. Secretary Abraham will have a defining role in determining the needs and priorities for our national security, energy policy, science and technology, and environmental management.
First and foremost, he will need to work with Congress in the development of a balanced, comprehensive national energy policy. If our ultimate national interests are ever to be achieved, we must address the overarching concerns witnessed by the current price hikes in gasoline, home heating oil, electricity, and natural gas. Though I am certain that, in time, these crises will pass as most crises do, I fear that, as a nation, we will sink back into energy somnolence. The alarm bells are ringing loudly today, and it is time to wake up and address our need for a serious comprehensive national energy strategy. At the same time, a comprehensive energy strategy must also incorporate a strong environmental policy and economic incentives to benefit our nation as a whole.
The new Energy Secretary agreed with me that coal is integral to any national energy strategy. When I met with him, we discussed Clean Coal Technologies and other research that can utilize many of our domestic energy resources in economically and environmentally sound ways. Since 1985, when I established the Clean Coal Technology initiative with a Congressional authorization of $750 million, more than $2.4 billion has been invested in this successful program. Secretary Abraham voiced Administration support for these efforts. By utilizing our nation's knowledge and resources, we can meet our energy demands while also improving the environment.
Additionally, I urged the new Energy Secretary to find ways to address the global climate change challenge. I hope he will continue to support longstanding initiatives that can address climate change as well as find more ways to deploy our advanced technologies in the market, both domestically and internationally. These new technologies and ideas have been paid for by the American people, tested in our laboratories, and demonstrated with the support and assistance of the private sector, and must be deployed if the global community is ever going to seriously tackle the problem of global climate change.
In the coming months, there certainly will be debate over how best to protect the environment, without risking the economic security of our own country. Adopting a commonsense national energy policy that takes advantage of our advanced technologies, while also utilizing our vast energy resources, can be a win-win situation for the environment and the economy.
____________________
