Political Quotes

“those of us lucky enough to live in Idaho and the Northwest are blessed. Besides the unmatched beauty and the incredible quality of life we enjoy, our rivers provide us with relatively abundant and affordable hydropower that gives us a competitive advantage in the world marketplace. As residents of an arid State, my Idaho colleagues and I know better than to take it for granted. Yet despite being a Nation that depends too heavily on foreign sources of fossil fuels, America for too long has taken energy for granted. We have gone a dozen years now without a national energy policy. The time to change that is now. As our economic recovery picks up steam, it is more important than ever that the United States maintain an abundant and reliable energy supply; and, frankly, we are not going to achieve that without the kind of comprehensive national energy policy already passed three times in this House. While the recent rise in energy costs has caught many consumers by surprise, it is important to remember that the energy supplies and price concerns are nothing new. Many of us in Congress, especially on this side of the aisle, along with energy industry observers and analysts, have long been warning of the energy train wreck that is about to happen. And it is not just about oil and gas. A national energy policy must address a relicensing process for hydropower dams that has become a cumbersome and inordinately expensive proposition.”