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.
“REMARKS ON THE ENERGY BILLS (H.R. 3221 AND H.R. 2776) CONSIDERED ON AUGUST 4, 2007” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Energy was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1818-E1819 on Sept. 6, 2007.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
REMARKS ON THE ENERGY BILLS (H.R. 3221 AND H.R. 2776) CONSIDERED ON
AUGUST 4, 2007
______
HON. DONALD A. MANZULLO
of illinois
in the house of representatives
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Mr. MANZULLO. Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 3221, New Direction for Energy Independence, National Security, and Consumer Protection Act, and H.R. 2776, Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act. I am extremely saddened that these bills, which according to the Democrat Majority were meant to ``achieve energy independence, strengthen national security, grow our economy and create jobs, lower energy prices, and begin to address global warming,'' will in fact result in less domestic natural gas and oil production, higher taxes that are passed to consumers, and wasteful spending on duplicative government programs.
The northern Illinois Congressional district I am honored to represent has a significant manufacturing base. There are over 2,500 industries in the 16th District of Illinois. Because of this, I devote a considerable amount of my time working on manufacturing issues. I am a member of the Council on Competitiveness, a co-chair of the Manufacturing Caucus, and Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee Task Force on Manufacturing. As previous Chairman of the House Committee on Small Business, I held countless hearings on competitiveness. I travel this country and overseas studying machine tools, manufacturing efficiencies, global supply chains, manufacturing financing, intellectual property rights protection, export controls, and other important issues. I've also lectured extensively on America's need to be globally competitive. However, the devastating effect of the rising cost of natural gas to America's manufacturers, especially chemical, plastics, and advanced composites producers, is dramatic. Composite, chemical, and plastic manufacturers are more dependent on affordable and stable natural gas prices because they use natural gas as a base ``feed stock.'' Soaring natural gas prices have challenged their competitiveness. In 2004 alone, increases in natural gas prices forced the closure of scores of chemical companies and cost roughly 100,000 high-paying jobs.
In 2005, Congress passed an energy bill that resulted in an increase of an additional 18 percent capacity in domestic natural gas production. We are now contemplating legislation that will reduce incentives for domestic production and, if past is prologue, will likely lead to a decrease domestic output and an increase dependence on imports from foreign sources. According to the non-partisan Congressional Research Service (CRS), a similar tax on oil and natural gas producers lead to a decrease in domestic oil production by as much as 1.26 million barrels between 1980 and 1986 and may have led to roughly 13 percent more in imported natural gas and oil over the same time period.
We cannot afford to travel down this path again. The Department of Energy projects that the United States will use 28 percent more oil and 19 percent more natural gas in 2030 than was used in 2005. To meet this rising demand and wean ourselves from foreign oil and natural gas, we must reduce regulatory burdens, invest in additional refining capacity, allow environmentally sound exploration, and support the development of alternative fuels. Unfortunately, the energy bills under consideration today do none of these things.
Instead, H.R. 2776 targets this vital sector of our economy with a
$15.3 billion tax increase over ten years. It also decreases the competitiveness of U.S. firms in global markets by adding a $3.6 billion tax increase on international oil and gas production income. Finally, it terminates a Lower Manhattan development program that will allow New York to spend $2 billion in federal income taxes that were withheld on New York City and State employees for any transportation infrastructure project they see fit. I'm not quite certain why this provision is found in an energy bill.
To make matters worse, H.R. 3221 spends $18.7 billion over five years on many programs that have little or nothing to do with energy independence or reducing the rising cost of energy in America. H.R. 3221 contains extraneous provisions such as new antipoverty programs, a program that authorizes $1 billion for clean energy and efficient technologies in other countries, the creation of a brand new agency, and, my personal favorite, a section that will allow individuals to sue the federal government for damages caused by global warming. Unfortunately, I may have just described some of the less harmful provisions found in this bill because they only waste taxpayer's money.
When the bill attempts to address domestic energy production, it does this by slowing the oil shale and tar sands commercial leasing program, abrogating contracts that will force an extra $5.5 billion for gas and oil exploration in the Gulf of Mexico, and prohibiting access to 4.2 trillion cubic feet of natural gas found in the Roan Plateau in Colorado. These additional restrictions on domestic production will lead to a shortage of supply and drive the cost of energy up so that every home and every business will have to pay far more than they are currently paying now.
Between 1999 and 2003, the United States experienced nothing less than what many considered to be the demise of American manufacturing. Our manufacturing base is recovering significantly since those days due largely to increases in productivity. But manufacturers face new and severe threats to the viability of their businesses in the United States. They face unfair foreign competition from foreign countries that do not honor their trade agreements and unfairly manipulate their currency. They face rapidly rising costs of health care. They face the largest regulatory burdens in the world. They face staggering increases in their energy costs. Please do not provide another incentive to move U.S. manufacturing overseas by raising their energy bill.
I urge my colleagues to join the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) by opposing H.R. 3221, New Direction for Energy Independence, National Security, and Consumer Protection Act and H.R. 2776, Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act, to show your support for America's manufacturers.
____________________
