Providing for Consideration of H.R. 6052, Saving Energy Through Public Transportation Act of 2008

PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 6052, SAVING ENERGY THROUGH PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ACT OF 2008 -- (House of Representatives - June 26, 2008)

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Mr. LUCAS. Madam Speaker, due to higher fuel costs, the two largest utility companies in Oklahoma recently announced a monthly rate increase of $16 on average, with more increases expected this fall. This is just the latest example of how the pain at the pump is spreading to the other necessities of life. This added expense for fuel in business is being passed along to consumers, who are now being hit with a double dose of soaring prices.

However, when given the opportunity to pass meaningful energy legislation, this majority has chosen to introduce the ``Bus Fares for Bureaucrats'' bill, which will spend $1.7 billion in tax revenues to reduce fares in public transportation systems. While I'm sure this will benefit the bureaucrats in D.C. who write these laws, I'm more concerned about the farmers in western Oklahoma, where there is no public transportation system to speak of.

As of today, my constituents are paying upwards of $4 a gallon for gasoline to fill their cars and $4.66 a gallon for diesel to fill their tractors and trucks. Are we to tell them that they not only have to pay higher prices for gas and electricity but that now they have to subsidize people in big cities with the luxury of access to public transportation?

As long as demand continues to rise, the price for oil will continue to climb without increasing supply. The answer to this problem is clear: We must increase our domestic supply of oil by allowing the exploration of new oil reserves and by increasing the capacity of our refineries.

A recent Los Angeles Times Bloomberg poll stated that 68 percent of registered voters support opening up more land for oil and gas drilling, including off the Nation's coast. It's time for this majority to start listening to the demands of the American people and to open up more land for oil exploration.

It's also necessary to encourage the development of alternative energy, such as wind or nuclear power. Oklahoma is currently the number nine generator of wind power in this country, producing 689 megawatts per year. There are other States that have the potential to produce more wind power than that but that choose not to install wind turbines because they consider them unsightly.

However, I guarantee you that any Oklahoma wheat farmer who earns money from both his crops and the wind turbines on his land will tell you his wind turbines are beautiful.

Right now, America produces 20 percent of its energy needs from nuclear power while France produces 78 percent, 78 percent. That's 78 percent less energy they need to import from other countries. So, not only are they able to produce more than three-quarters of their electricity needs in France, they are able to do so in a clean, efficient manner with minimal harmful emissions.

This leads me to my most important point. If electricity that lights your house or the gas that powers your car is produced in America, new jobs are created, and we are becoming less dependent on foreign oil. It's time for America to get back in the business of energy production. I urge my colleagues to sign the discharge petition on H.R. 5656, ``To Repeal the Ban on Acquiring Alternative Fuels Act,'' so we can bring this essential piece of legislation to the House floor for a vote. The rising cost of gasoline is the single biggest challenge we face in this country, as every American who has been to the pump in the last few months knows, and it's time for Congress to rise to the challenge to come up with real solutions.

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