From Fossil Fuels to Renewables

Floor Speech

FROM FOSSIL FUELS TO RENEWABLES

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Mr. MARKEY. I would like to say that the gentleman from Maryland is like Socrates up here lecturing to the Members and to the country on this incredibly important issue. And I would just like to take note that you do it day after day, and you are relentless.

There is no question that, still, there is this denial with regard to the amount of oil that the United States has in terms of reserves compared to OPEC, compared to Russia, compared to other countries in the world.

And the gentleman from Maryland on a consistent basis comes here to the House floor. I know you do it in other places to bring this message. And if I may, just for 10 seconds because I know the gentleman shares my view on this, I think we both drive hybrids. I think the gentleman is the Chair of the Hybrid Caucus, as a matter of fact. And we both know that the technology exists if we make a commitment as a nation. So here is just one little statistic I would like to put out there:

In 1970, the United States imported 20 percent of its oil; 80 percent we produced. By 1977, just 7 years later, we imported 47 percent of our oil. We went from 20 percent imports to 47 percent imports. But then the Congress and Gerald Ford, President Ford, passed legislation which mandated a doubling of the fuel economy standards for the United States of America. By 1985, 1986, we had dropped back down to 27 percent imports. So we went from 20 percent to 46 back down to 27 percent because we improved our technology. We doubled the fuel economy from 13 miles per gallon to 27 miles per gallon. We did it technologically.

Today, unbelievably, the United States imports 60 percent of its oil. So from 1986 to 2006, we went from 27 percent of our oil that we imported to 60 percent of our oil that we imported. And as the gentleman graphically, in eye-watering detail, continues to present out here on the House floor, the places from which we import this oil is not healthy for the United States of America. It is an unhealthy relationship with countries that we should not be dependent upon. Three hundred billion dollars worth of oil imports last year. Three hundred billion dollars. And we know that much of that money is spent on things that are completely adverse to the overall national security interests of the United States of America even as we emit more greenhouse gases out into the atmosphere that we would not be emitting if our fuel economy standard was much higher.

So I saw you out here again like a preacher, and I thought that I would just let you know that I am out here in the congregation listening to you, and I know that there are many, many other people who are very much in debt to you for having the resolute commitment to getting this message into the minds of the American people.

So I thank the gentleman for yielding.

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Mr. MARKEY. Why do you think it is so hard to convince people that we don't have the oil reserves that would allow us to have a healthy relationship with the rest of the world that does have the oil reserves that ultimately we are going to need to import if we don't change our habits? Why do you think our country doesn't come to grips with that? Where is the gap in communicating with the American people on this issue?

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Mr. MARKEY. You tell your wife that in Massachusetts the messenger's name was Paul Revere and we actually built statues to him up in Massachusetts for telling us the Red Coats were coming, the British were coming, the regulars were coming. And that is what you are telling us right now, that at 60, 61 percent dependence upon imported oil, we are heading inexorably towards a very, very dangerous foreign policy, national security crisis in our country because we are averaging about 1 1/2 percent per year increase in our dependency. So in order to move from 27 percent back in 1985, 1986 to 60, 61 percent today, it just has to go up that much. So if we come back here in 67 years and we haven't done anything, we will be over 70 percent, 75 percent dependent upon imported oil, all unnecessary if we looked at the facts and looked at the facts today and began to change our national habits.

So tell your wife that Paul Revere is more likely the analogy that applies to you rather than the messenger that they shot.

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