ARLINGTON: Five North Texas Congressmen sat down with local leaders and citizens Thursday morning to discuss the effects current energy crisis and ways to ease the growing burden on businesses and people in the community.

Congressman Joe Barton (R-Arlington/Ennis) put together the event after holding several town hall meetings and hearing about the hardship high energy prices are causing people all over his district. It was called – “Texas Solutions: A forum on high energy prices.”

Mr. Barton was joined at the event by Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Plano), Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Dallas), Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Lewisville) and Rep. Kenny Marchant (R-Carrolton).

Democratic members of the North Texas Congressional Delegation were also invited, but were unable to attend.

The Members heard from a distinguished panel that included:

Victor Carrillo, Texas Railroad Commissioner
Robert Cornelius, Denbury Resources
Bill Stevens, Texas Alliance of Energy Producers
Ron Ricks, Southwest Airlines
John Bass, Nucor Bar Mill Group
Kevin Smith, Tenaska Power Services
John Rau, American Airlines

About 100 members of the public also showed up to listen to the information discussed during the forum.

The Congressmen and the panel were in agreement that increasing American made energy would lower prices, create jobs and increase our nation’s security.

Congressman Barton was the first to address the panel. He told the crowd he was in favor of an “all of the above” energy plan, but said it must include substantial domestic exploration and drilling.

“This is a critical time for our nation’s power supply and our economy. We don’t have to go overseas or to OPEC to beg for oil. America is a treasure chest of natural resources. We can produce more energy here and we can use new, developing technology to keep prices down and keep our economy strong. This is not a Republican or Democrat problem, this is an American problem and it needs to be solved with the needs of the American people in mind. The goal of this forum was to get a better understanding of the problem from how it affects business to how it hurts consumers. Now we need to translate what we learned into solutions. I will take what I heard here today back to D.C. to further the energy debate and make sure the needs of Texans are addressed in any future energy policy.”

Congressman Johnson echoed his sentiments, ”My constituents are mad. They are tired of paying high prices at the pump. We need to increase American production of all energy sources.”

Rep. Marchant pointed out that Texas is a leader when it comes to new technology and alternative fuels.

“We need the rest of the nation to look at North Texas and see the leadership we have here. Texas is taking a comprehensive approach to energy. We utilize nuclear solar and lead the nation in wind generated electricity, but we still actively use and explore for fossil fuels. We are proof you can safely - environmentally safely - explore the natural resources that are available.”

Congressman Burgess told the crowd that while we look to the future, we can’t sacrifice the present.

“This is a critical issue from my standpoint. It’s all hands on deck. Do we need conservation? Absolutely. Do I believe in alternatives? Absolutely. Solar? Of course. I know that is the technology of tomorrow, but I also know for years to come we will still rely on oil, coal and natural gas to fuel our economy. It is incumbent to find a way to make all of that work together to keep our economy strong.”

Rep. Session expressed his belief that this is about more than just economics.

“We find ourselves today at a crossroads. This is not just an economic issue, but a national security issue. We are in the position where we have to pay the price someone else sets for oil. We need to increase domestic production, not only to protect our economy – but to protect our national security.”

This first panelist was Texas Railroad Commission Victor Carrillo, his office helps regulate drilling activity in the State of Texas. He told the Congressmen that because of higher prices drilling in the state is on the rise, especially exploration for natural gas. Carrillo estimates that close to 24,000 drilling permits will be requested in Texas this year, the highest number since 1985.

But despite the increase, the Railroad Commissioner said to keep the Texas economy on track the state needs more energy. He encouraged the Members of Congress to continue to support new technology and energy exploration, especially in places like Alaska and in our coastal waters.

The two airlines executives explained that rapidly growing fuel costs had put their industry in a precarious position. They are being forced to cut back on flights and increase fares.

Along with supporting more domestic exploration and production, both American Airlines and Southwest Airlines urged the Congressmen to push the Federal Aviation Administration to update the nation’s air traffic control system. Ricks and Rau agreed that switching to more high-tech global positioning systems would allow planes to take more direct routes. By eliminating the current zigzag flight paths airlines could cut back on fuel consumption and costs.

After more than two hours of testimony and questioning Barton adjourned the forum and declared it a success. He said the information gathered put a Texas spin on a nationwide issue and believes it will be instrumental in helping the Members as they form energy policy in Washington.

Congressman Joe Barton represents the 6th District of Texas. He was first elected in 1984.