Energy Diversification

Floor Speech

Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, energy is of vital importance to our Nation. It is the cornerstone of our economy, allowing for the everyday happenings of our lives to go uninterrupted. Because it is so critically important, we must have steady and abundant sources of energy for our consumption. This is crucial not only to our economy, but to our national security.

Investments in our resources must be strategic, well thought out, and establish a stable supply for our future. The only way to ensure both stability and abundance is through diversification of our varying resources. Any financial expert would advise their clients that diversification is key when investing funds in our financial system. The same is true in regard to our energy sector. While Republicans continue to push bills targeted to a single resource, they fail to come up with a strategic plan that will encompass all forms of energy resources including hydrocarbons and renewables.

While I believe that we cannot leave out any source in attempting to attain our energy goals, bills such as H.R. 2231, the Offshore Energy and Jobs Act leverage all our activity to one type of fuel, analogously, putting all of our eggs in one basket. I believe oil and gas will continue to play a role in our economy in the near future. I agree that responsible and sensible drilling should continue to take place. If we look at my home State of Texas, we can see that oil and gas have been key to keeping our economy strong through the tumultuous years of the Great Recession. But, oil and gas are not the only fuel source we are able to utilize for energy production in Texas. In western Texas, winds howl through the fields and we have made use of this great natural resource by placing wind farms on land to collect this type of kinetic energy. This is an example of how we can utilize hydrocarbon resources and take advantage of clean renewable resources at our disposal.

Let's put aside partisan bickering and come together on a true energy plan that will address our country's future needs. Bills that simply give lip-service to increasing our energy supply such as the Offshore Energy and Jobs Act, will never be signed into law, and are not plausible for us to be considering. My no vote for the Offshore Energy and Jobs Act was not a condemnation of drilling activities off of our shores, but rather a recognition that we need a comprehensive, responsible, and environmentally sound energy plan for our future that can be passed by the Senate and signed by the President.

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