Jack Kingston: “I want to say that if rhetoric turned turbines, we would have enough electricity for the next 100 years just listening…”

“I want to say that if rhetoric turned turbines, we would have enough electricity for the next 100 years just listening to the Democrats today. But the truth is, we have got to move on. We do not have an energy policy. Let me give you a quote from Clinton's Energy Secretary Bill Richardson: "It is obvious that the Federal Government was not prepared. We were caught napping. We got complacent." February 16 of last year. I applaud the Bush Administration for taking the brave steps to say we have got to look ahead. We have a neglected energy infrastructure. Think about this: the last refinery for gasoline was built in Garyville, Louisiana, in 1976. We are dependent on foreign oil. Today 57 percent of our oil comes from other countries. Now, compare that to 1973 during the infamous OPEC oil embargo, when only 35 percent of our oil came from foreign countries. Today, it is 57 percent. Our national security is vulnerable to the whims of foreign nations. Let us look at the demand. Since 1980, the supply has only increased by 18 percent, but the demand has increased by 24 percent. Think about the number of cars that are on the road today. In 1940 we had 5 million cars on the road. Today we have 130 million cars driving. There is a huge increase in demand. Think about the environmental question. Everybody wants clean air, everybody. I do not know anybody who does not. We are united on that.”