-Caveat Lector- Strengthening our national energy policy is a must By Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.)
Aug. 8, 2006, marks the one-year anniversary of the first comprehensive energy bill in 12 years. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 was a far-reaching bill that touched upon almost every aspect of our nations energy policy. We are seeing an impact in the areas of coal, wind, solar, nuclear and ethanol energies as well as conservation and efficiency across the energy spectrum. Throughout the spring and summer, my committee has held a series of Monday hearings to examine the implementation and impact of the energy bill in all of those key areas. The hearings have been successful, and I look forward to continuing these productive hearings through July. I would like to see Congress build on the success of the energy bill in several areas. I would like to see us address refinery capacity, spent nuclear fuel, the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). The advancement of these four policies will help to ensure that the United States has a reliable, affordable, diverse and secure energy supply. And a secure and strong national energy policy will help to strengthen our nations economy, national security and foreign policy. Refinery capacity. Related to increasing supply is the need to increase the ability to refine oil while diversifying the refining locations. Last years hurricane season made it painfully clear that the lack of refining capacity in this country must be addressed. Almost 50 percent of the refining capacity in the United States is located in the Gulf Coast area. The hurricanes caused a shutdown of 10 percent of our refinery capacity. We did not have the spare space at the other refineries to absorb that shock. We need to find ways to increase capacity at existing refineries and explore ways to build refineries in places other than the Gulf of Mexico. Last Thursday my committee held a hearing on H.R. 5254, the Refinery Permit Process Schedule Act. I look forward to hearing from the witnesses and working to construct legislation that will meet the needs of Americas energy infrastructure. OCS. There are 633 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in our federal waters more than enough to heat every American home for 15 years. However, 85 percent of the Outer Continental Shelf acreage in the lower 48 states remains under moratorium. I am confident, as are the American people, that additional oil and gas development on the OCS and the protection of our nations coastlines are not mutually exclusive. The energy bill diversified our supply, but we will still need far more natural gas in the next two decades than we can produce. American jobs, our nations economy and our consumers pocketbooks mandate a second look at the OCS moratoriums. I recently passed S. 2253 out of committee with a bipartisan vote of 16-5. This bill directs leasing in parts of the area known as Lease Sale 181. This bill will develop oil and gas at least 100 miles off the Florida coast in a manner that upholds environmental protections and military training areas. Additionally, enacting S. 2253 would provide access to an area with a natural-gas supply of approximately 5 trillion cubic feet. Opening Lease Sale 181 would be the single most important thing this nation could do to reduce the price of natural gas in the near term. The House of Representatives recently passed a comprehensive OCS bill. I applaud them for making this important issue a priority. I continue to work hard to get my Lease Sale 181 bill to the Senate floor this month, and I look forward to a productive conference with the House. Spent nuclear fuel. My Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee colleagues and I recently approved the fiscal year 2007 appropriations bill for the Department of Energy, which included language addressing a short-term solution for the spent nuclear fuel gathering at reactor sites around the nation. I will work with my colleagues to gain full Senate passage of this bill when it is brought to the floor. In April, Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and I introduced the Bush administrations proposed Yucca Mountain fix language, S. 2589, the Nuclear Fuel Management and Disposal Act. This month I will continue to work with my good friend Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) to hold a hearing on this legislation. ANWR: Over 10 years ago, President Clinton vetoed legislation that would have opened ANWR to oil and gas leasing. If our nations leaders had chosen to develop ANWR back then, it is estimated that today we would have the benefit of as much as 1 million barrels of oil a day from that region. Opening ANWR is the most meaningful thing Congress can for domestic oil production. I will continue to work hard in the coming months to ensure the domestic security of this nation by taking up ANWR legislation as soon as possible. Domenici is the chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. 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