Rep. Boozman Votes to Reduce Dependence on Foreign Oil Comprehensive Plan Will Help the Nation Meet Energy Needs
Washington, Apr 21 -
Representative John Boozman (R-AR) today voted for a comprehensive energy bill that creates a short-term and long-term strategy for meeting our nation's energy needs.
H.R. 6, the "Energy Policy Act of 2005," passed the House by a vote of 249-183.
"This is an important piece of legislation," said Boozman. "Not only does it address the current crisis of high gas prices, but it sets a stage for making our country less dependent on foreign sources of oil in the future."
Boozman continued, "Right now, Americans consume 21 million barrels of oil per day. About 14 million of those barrels come from foreign sources, leaving us at the mercy of countries like Venezuela, Iran and Libya, with whom our interests don't always coincide."
Highlights of H.R. 6 include:
* Improves our nation's electricity transmission capacity and reliability by providing enforceable mandatory reliability standards, incentives for transmission grid improvements and reform of transmission rules.
* Promotes clean coal technology by funding projects that can demonstrate advanced technologies that will significantly reduce pollution emissions.
* Advances renewable energies by requiring five billion gallons of renewable fuel to be included in all gasoline sold in the U.S. by 2015 and provides incentives for biomass, wind, solar and hydroelectricity.
* Encourages new innovations like a state-of-the-art program to get hydrogen-powered automobiles on the road by 2020.
* Increases domestic oil production by opening .001 percent of the 19 million-acre Alaskan National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR) to oil exploration.
Boozman commented specifically on the ANWR provision saying, "I have traveled to Alaska to see ANWR firsthand. By starting production in just a small fraction of the reserve, it is estimated that we can recover 10.3 billion barrels of oil, representing a possible 45 percent increase in total U.S. proven reserves."
All of these provisions will help America increase oil production at home and use new technologies to provide energy sources for our future.
"As a member of the House International Relations Committee, I can tell you without a doubt that we do not want to be dependent on the likes of Iran and Libya for our sources of energy. Relying on foreign sources of oil is bad policy now, and will only be worse for future generations if we don't take action now," said Boozman.
http://www.boozman.house.gov/News/DocumentPrint.aspx?DocumentID=7992