Press Conference With Senator John Barrasso

Floor Speech

Press Conference With Senator John Barrasso

Subject: Creation of the Senate Western Caucus Also Participating: Senator Jon Kyl, Rep. Rob Bishop, Senator Robert F. Bennett, Senator James E. Risch

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SEN. BARRASSO: Well, thank you --

SEN./REP.: Hey, Jim.

SEN./REP.: You're welcome. (Laughter.)

SEN. BARRASSO: Thank you for being here. I am John Barrasso from Wyoming, and I am pleased today to announce the creation of the Senate Western Caucus. They've had a Western caucus in the House for a number of years, and Representative Rob Bishop, who chairs that, is going to be joining us in a couple of seconds.

What you're seeing today is Western Republicans on both sides of Capitol Hill coming together unified behind a Western approach to solving America's problems. We believe in Western values, in the values of rugged individualism, self-reliance and economic freedom. We oppose the federal intrusion into the everyday lives of the people of our great country, and certainly we're seeing that in the West.

The government should get out of the way of liberty and prosperity. Washington cannot legislate economic progress by spending billions in taxpayer dollars or imposing strict environmental regulations. The -- we are committed to developing responsible policies to allow American innovation and hard work to thrive. We must protect our natural resources and, at the same time, develop a sound energy policy that uses all American energy sources. This caucus is going to work together to actively promote these principles.

We are introducing energy legislation today, called the CARE Act. It stands for -- and I have a copy of this bill -- it stands for "Clean, Affordable, Reliable Energy." But we are here -- and I'm joined by my Senate colleagues -- to talk about the forming of this Senate Western Caucus. And at this time, I'd like to call on Senator John Kyl, who is our whip.

SEN. KYL: Thanks, John.

There are several other colleagues. We're having a vote right now, and they're down on the floor voting. And a couple of them had a different commitment -- for example, Mike Crapo, Orrin Hatch. I think all of our Republican senators from the West will be a part of our conference -- caucus -- because they understand that in whatever legislation we consider, it'll have implications for those of us in the West, and the Western point of view needs to be represented. And that'll be the primary function that we will perform: to make sure that that Western point of view is represented, beginning with the important piece of legislation that Senator Barrasso mentioned.

It's amazing to me that even in this 21st century, our friends from the East or the Midwest have a lot of misconceptions about the West. They don't appreciate that most of our natural resources are out there; that much of the land is federally owned, and that this raises significant issues with respect to how our communities and states operate.

So we'll hope to bring that perspective to the debate. I think it'll be useful, and it'll -- it'll not just help folks out West, but help folks throughout the United States. Just one example, in Senator Barrasso's bill, the point is to have not only more plentiful energy, but cheaper energy. We don't have to put a tax on energy and make it more expensive. We can actually produce it a lot more cheaply and help the American people, just as filling our gas tanks is starting to cost us more money, as we know as we start to go out on our trips this summer.

So this caucus I think will be an important way for the Western point of view to be represented in our legislation here in the Senate.

Thank you, John.

SEN. BARRASSO: Representative Bishop has arrived, from Utah. He is the chairman of the Western Caucus in the House.

And I'd like you to have an opportunity to spend a few minutes.

REP. BISHOP: Let me just thank Senator Barrasso and the others for starting the Western Caucus here over on the Senate Side. We look forward to working with you on these issues -- not just on energy issues, but all the issues that have an impact on those of us in the West. It is a great kind of partnership that we're going to be having in the future.

I am especially grateful for the bill that has been dropped at this time, because it does talk about a different direction in which this country can go, one that will provide jobs and create an energy future for this country; because let's face it, if we do not do that, the price that is paid is disproportionate in different parts of the country.

It's also disproportionate amongst those economic scales. For somebody who is rich, it may be an annoyance. For somebody who is on the border of poverty, where 50 percent of your energy -- or 50 percent of all your income goes for some kind of energy, this is the difference between heating your home and being able to cook your food for that particular night.

So it is a significant approach. It's something that's important, and we pledge to work together with the senators to try and move forward on this issue and every other issue that has an impact on the citizens of the West.

I thank you for your leadership, and I thank you, all the senators who have joined in this effort.

SEN. BARRASSO: Thank you very much, and I hope you'll stay around for some questions and give some answers.

Senator Bennett now.

SEN. BENNETT: When I took Pete Domenici's place as the ranking member on the Energy and Water Subcommittee of Appropriations, I did my best to acquaint myself with all of the issues relating to that subcommittee, so that I would understand the various problems.

And in that process, I got a look at a map. If you take the Western United States -- and yes, let's recognize that nature doesn't follow artificial boundaries -- go up on into Canada -- take the Western slice of the United States, which most of these people in this caucus represent, plus on up into Canada, you find enough energy on the map to take care of all of America's energy needs. Very diverse. There's coal, there's oil, there are tar sands, there's oil shale, there's natural gas in tremendous abundance, there's uranium, and there's hydropower, all in the West.

One of the things I've learned from studying the economy, when I was the chairman of the Joint Economic Committee, was that our prosperity as a country has been driven by our ability to access cheap energy. Our growth over the last century has been tied to our ability to get at energy. And at a time when we're talking about energy sources, you take a look at the map, and all of the energy is there. If you measured in Btus, we're much richer than Saudi Arabia in the American West.

So why aren't we examining that in an intelligent way, to get that energy, handle it properly?

Yes, it can be done in an environmentally sensitive fashion.

Why is it that there is opposition to using the uranium that's there, to build nuclear plants, to using the hydro that's there, to build dams and generate pure renewable energy? Clean coal technology, natural gas; it's all there. And for whatever reason, we as a nation have been importing most of our energy from someplace else.

It's time for us to recognize the tremendous treasure trove that the American West represents and move ahead, in an intelligent fashion, to exploit it and keep the American economy growing, in the fashion that it has grown, for over a century, by virtue of its access to cheap energy.

It's a tremendous challenge. And I think it's appropriate that the senators and congressmen from the West should be the ones leading the fight, to get that problem solved.

SEN. RISCH: I'm Jim Risch from Idaho.

Let me say that I appreciate the formation of this Western Caucus. Those of us who live out west believe, in a figurative way, that the Mississippi River gets wider every year.

You heard that the things that we believe in culturally that John Barrasso, Senator Barrasso, has just outlined for you. Certainly energy is one of those issues but it isn't just energy.

It's just the view of the world around us. We do have a bit of a different view. And it is along the lines that have been described as much more of a free-enterprise, freedom, keep-the-government-out-of- our-business sort of view of life.

Certainly energy is one of those issues. Senator Barrasso and I both voted against the final product on the Energy Committee; myself because I really believe that the bill simply picks around the edges and doesn't really go to the heart of the problem, which is to produce and make available to Americans a lot of energy at an affordable price.

It certainly works at the alternative-energy ways of generating and delivering electricity and other sources of energy. But it does not go to the heart of the problem. And for that reason, I voted against it.

But one of the things that we have out West that is very difficult for people here to understand if they haven't spent time in the West is that we are owned in many instances largely by the federal government. Two-thirds of Idaho -- two out of every three acres in Idaho -- is owned by the federal government. And that causes us considerable difficulty in doing the things that we want to do, whether it's business, whether it's recreation or any other things that we do.

But one of the best examples that three states, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana, have had difficulty with is wolves. Somebody got the bright idea not long -- 10 years ago that we should have wolves in Idaho. The government didn't want them; the legislature didn't want them; really, nobody in Idaho wanted them. But the federal government wanted them, and we got 37 of them. We've got now over 1,000 of them, and they are causing us no end of difficulty.

And these are the kind of issues that we need to join together on. And with a Western caucus, we will speak with a stronger voice.

John, thank you for doing this.

SEN. ORRIN G. HATCH (R-UT): I join with my brethren up here on how important this is that we have this Western-states group put together. As one of the senators who helped to initiate and carry the battle on the original sagebrush rebellion back in the Carter years, we're there again. We had to really fight very, very hard to make sure that the West was treated fairly, where most of the energy is. It's no secret that I'm the author of the CLEAR Act, which created alternative fuels -- incentives for alternative fuels, alternative- fuel infrastructure, alternative-fuel stations. And I have to say that that's worked pretty well and helped to create the modern hybrid- car industry.

The FREEDOM Act, which is another bill that we worked on and passed, in large measure helped to develop the hybrid-car industry. I might add, those bills also helped to develop -- brought incentives to bear on solar, wind, geothermal and even nuclear. And all of that's important.

We all know that if we could ever reach 20-percent use of ethanol, of our liquid fuels, that that would be -- that would take the land mass of about four or five states. (Chuckles.) That's how ridiculous it is to think that's going to solve these problems. The other alternative things that we want to do, we certainly want to do everything we can.

But last time I heard, 95 percent of all of our energy needs, liquid fuel needs in particular, came from oil and gas. And I appreciate my colleagues pointing out that the West is where it's at. And that's what will help save this country.

But we are highly owned by the federal government. In Utah, about 67 percent of our state is owned by the federal government. And yet we have the Saudi Arabia of coal tied up in a national monument. This is environmentally sound, high-moisture-content, low-sulfur- content coal.

So we need to do this. I might add that one of the reasons we did the Sagebrush Rebellion was because of the unfair treatment that was brought forth, against the West, by the Carter administration.

The impact of that was felt mostly by Westerners. But the anti- oil agenda being pursued, by the current administration and congressional leadership, will impact every American in higher gas prices, higher energy prices and higher food prices.

Now, we call ourselves the Senate Western Caucus. But we're fighting for all Americans who pump gas into their car, turn on their lights at home and want to feed their children, you know, basically healthy, affordable meals.

That's what our agenda really comes down to. And I want to congratulate my colleagues, the leaders here today, especially Senator Barrasso and Senator Bennett, Senator Risch and really above all, our counterpart in the House, Congressman Bishop, who happened to be leading this.

And I'm going to do everything in my power to help this Western Caucus to do what really is -- what really should be done, in the best interests of our country.

SEN. BARRASSO: With that, I wanted to thank the colleagues for all being here. As Representative Bishop said, it's not just about energy. It's about energy, the economy and our environment. And the people of the Rocky Mountain West know for sure. We have been the best stewards of the land.

It is still the place people want to come to visit. It is the place people love to go. They say, this is perfect. This is wonderful. We wish our hometown on the East or West Coast was like this.

And yet we are also the place that has made more energy, for the people of America, than anyplace else. So we're going to continue to do the things we've done, for at least the 119 years that Wyoming has been a state, which is continue to promote energy, for all of the people, while preserving our environment in the way that we have done it. And it's about multiple use of the land.

And while we've heard from Idaho, where two-thirds of the land is under federal government control; Utah, two-thirds; in Wyoming, half of the land under the control of the federal government. And you know, the land actually belongs to the people of this country. It doesn't belong to government.

But Washington acts like they own that land. But the land is all of ours and also the resources there. We'll continue to fight for those, as part of the Western Caucus.

Any questions.

Q Why did it take so long to form this? And secondly is this a Republican-only caucus?

SEN. BARRASSO: This is -- this is a group of individual senators and House members who have strong, conservative views about the way to use our land and multiple use of the land, to also develop the energy resources that are there.

It's not just about green energy, although that's very important. Renewable energy is very important, and we have a lot of development going on in Wyoming with wind. There's a lot of energy sources available. But we believe we need all the red, white and blue jobs, as well as the green jobs.

Yes.

Q (Off mike) -- in the House and Senate -- (off mike). Energy -- (off mike).

SEN. BARRASSO: Well, I think that the -- when you look at -- when the president says, you know, "I want renewable energy to be the cheapest form of energy," you know, he's really not talking about making renewable energy cheaper, he's talking about making all the other sources of energy more expensive. You know, a cap-and-tax program is being proposed. Those are the sorts of things that aren't going to help people pay for -- or fill the car with gas, and is not going to be the things that are going to be -- people -- help people heat their homes.

The president's plan is one that raises the cost of the other forms of energy, doesn't lower the cost. And we want to make all of American energy, you know, as clean as we can, as fast as we can, without raising prices for American families. I mean, that's really what it's about: as clean as we can, as fast as we can, without raising prices -- without raising the cost for American families. And that's what we've done in the Rocky Mountain West throughout the great history of the West.

Anything else? Well, if not, thank you very much. I appreciate you being here, and you'll hear more from the Western Caucus. Thank you.

END.

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