Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. MacArthur). Mr. MacARTHUR. Mr. Chair, the North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act does some important things to move us into the 21st century with our energy policy. It advances modernization, reliability, security, and efficiency in our energy infrastructure. I want to focus on one section of that bill, title 5, that ``national energy security corridors'' portion. I originally proposed this as a separate bill, and I am pleased to see it as part of this energy act. Simply put, it allows us to move natural gas from the western to the eastern United States. Let me give you an example of why this matters. A couple of weeks ago, I visited Winteringham Village in Toms River in my district. It is a village comprised almost entirely of seniors, and their average income is slightly over $12,000 a year. These people are not getting a cost-of-living increase under Social Security, but they most certainly are facing higher energy costs. The reason is simple. While other States, western States, enjoy lower energy costs, States like mine are facing higher energy costs, and the reason is simple. We don't have the energy infrastructure to move gas from the West to the East. Last winter, on one particular day, the cost of natural gas in New Jersey was $22.35 for a million BTUs. It was $1.50 at the same time in Pennsylvania, one State away from me.…”