Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding this hearing in such a timely fashion. Speedy action is necessary if we are to ensure that Americans do not continue to suffer from our ongoing energy problems.
I would like to welcome Secretary Abraham. It is always a pleasure to welcome our former colleague to the Committee.
President Bush's energy plan is a starting point for a national debate on how to craft a practical blueprint for meeting the nation's current and long-term energy needs. But it is only a start. It is incumbent upon Congress to debate this plan expeditiously and develop legislative approaches that will provide what American consumers want and need -- reliable and affordable energy.
We have had record-breaking increases in the price of gasoline and natural gas. The gasoline price increases that we have already seen this spring indicate that the pocketbooks of Americans will be severely affected this summer and beyond. The President's plan fails to address our short-term energy problem and relies heavily on increasing production of fossil fuels to solve long-term problems. It offers no solutions to alleviate the chronic problems of high energy prices in Hawaii and also falls short of addressing concerns of citizens in California and the Pacific Northwest. The Bush strategy lacks a vision for addressing short-term solutions across the nation.
I am concerned that the President's plan relies on the domestic production of oil and gas at the expense of wise environmental protections. Current clean air, clean water, and conservation policies were developed after a great deal of research and debate, and they reflect priorities shared by most Americans. While I welcome proposals aimed at increasing our energy supplies, we must continue to safeguard the environment.
Our nation has made great progress in improving our energy efficiency and conservation since the oil embargo of 1973, and we need to accelerate that commitment. Over the last three decades, the gas mileage of American cars has more than doubled. Twenty-five years ago, American vehicles were averaging only 12 miles per gallon. Today's new cars average more than twice this gas mileage in spite of our failure to maintain efficiency standards. Our home appliances require about a third of the electricity they did 30 years ago. This progress is the result of a long-term commitment to improve the efficiency of technologies that we depend upon. We must remain steadfastly committed to making energy efficiency a central component of our energy policy.
America needs to invest more in the development of renewable energy resources such as wind and solar energy and alternative energy resources like hydrogen. Making the investment in the development of these resources contingent upon royalties from the production of oil from controversial Arctic drilling is risky. The nation cannot afford to jeopardize the future of renewable energy by gambling on prospective royalties. Proper investment combined with American ingenuity will provide the advances we need in ensuring that Americans enjoy clean and reasonably priced energy.
Mr. Chairman, I am committed to the development of policies that encourage energy efficiency and conservation, and policies that encourage renewable and alternative energy resources. More fundamentally, I am committed to policies that ensure all Americans, regardless of where they live, whether on the neighbor islands of Hawaii, native communities of Alaska, or the far corners of New England, have adequate supplies of reasonably priced energy. To achieve this goal, we need policies that renew and expand our energy infrastructure and facilitate the development of new, efficient technologies. We must invest in research and development to ensure that a full range of fuels and technologies are available in the future. New technologies will save Americans money and stimulate economic growth.
As we work to address our nation's energy needs, we should not overlook the buildup of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases forcing climate change. Global climate change is one of the paramount challenges we face in the 21st Century. We cannot afford to ignore this global problem and its dire long-term consequences.
I am interested in hearing what the Secretary has to say.
