That quip reminds me of the current debates on climate-change legislation. It seems that no matter what direction Congress takes, someone is ready to shout that the end is near. One side says that if we do not act immediately and reduce greenhouse gases to zero, the earth will burn up, the seas will rise, and millions will die. On the other side are those shouting that costly changes in regulation will damage the American way of life and have little, if any, significant impact on air quality or global warning.

Whichever side is right, and I personally think the second side is much nearer the truth, the fact is that any climate-change legislation will dramatically change the way we generate power in this country.

The U.S. Senate is considering S. 2191 which seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions nearly 20 percent by 2020, and by over 60 percent by 2050. While it may not pass this year, it will undoubtedly serve as a basis for climate-change legislation in the future.

As we continue to discuss climate change on the Hill, I hope that my colleagues will consider the impact on energy supplies, especially the natural gas sector.

Demand for natural gas for electricity generation shot up 42 percent from 1997 to 2005. Climate-change legislation will only turn that dramatic upward trend into a stampede.

Last year the Natural Gas Council -- which represents all segments of the natural gas industry -- analyzed the McCain-Lieberman climate change legislation. The study reported that the bill would cause natural gas demand to go up 20 percent.

Utilities have been turning away from traditional coal-fired generation to create electricity because of public concerns about clean air, including the cost of controlling emissions with current technology. While nuclear power will help meet clean air demands and electricity requirements, those are costly to build and take a long time to bring on line.

That leaves natural gas-fired generation plants. They can be built quickly and are relatively inexpensive when total costs are considered. In addition, natural gas-fired generators create the reliable electricity loads that cannot yet be met by wind and solar power.

If natural gas prices were holding steady even as demand has grown, we could continue to afford this course and not worry about the impact of climate change legislation. But natural gas prices have gone from just over $2 per million BTU’s in 2000, to nearly $10 today because of continuing demand and flat supplies. That high cost has been blamed in large part for the loss of nearly three million manufacturing jobs. Imagine what will happen when the natural gas stampede hits full stride.

To meet the needs of a cleaner earth and the electricity demands of a prosperous nation, we will need more generation from solar, wind, biofuels and other fuels. But we will also need more natural gas, and to get there, we need to open up the great areas off our coasts which hold an enormous amount of natural gas (250 trillion cubic feet).

We set aside the Outer Continental Shelf to both protect the environment and for a rainy day. Now that rainy day has already arrived, and we can protect the environment with natural gas. If we don't open the Outer Continental Shelf for natural gas exploration, the words of another great philosopher, John Fogerty, come to mind: "I see a bad moon rising, I see trouble on the way."

Congressman Doug Lamborn