Lynn C. Woolsey: “no one disagrees that to keep our country secure, we must become independent of foreign fuels, while at the same time we…”

“no one disagrees that to keep our country secure, we must become independent of foreign fuels, while at the same time we must control the rising energy costs here in our country. Where the disagreement arises is how this should be done. Today, the House leadership brought up four energy bills in an attempt to look like they are addressing our energy needs. From rehashing a bill that already passed the House not once but twice, that focuses on huge giveaways to big oil and gas companies to a bill that would open up drilling in the arctic refuge, this is nothing more than a sham. None of these bills do anything to promote an energy policy that will keep us secure from terrorism and ensure that our energy needs are met. In fact, opening up the arctic refuge to drilling would increase global oil reserves by only .31 percent. That is right, only 31/100ths of 1 percent. That is less oil than the United States consumes in 6 months. There has to be a better way, a more intelligent way, a way not rooted in ruthless expediency, but in the values that we hold dear. And there is. I have introduced legislation to create a SMART security platform for the 21st century. SMART stands for Sensible Multilateral American Response to Terrorism. One of the components of SMART is a real strategy for energy independence, especially support for the development of renewable energy sources. Nothing threatens national security more than reliance on Middle Eastern oil.”