Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, for far too long, the Federal Government has imposed regulatory burdens that have impeded economic growth and limited our access to domestic energy. This legislation, which passed out of the Natural Resources Committee on a bipartisan basis, establishes a commonsense, streamlined policy for the development of clean geothermal energy resources that will create jobs and provide low-cost energy to American families. In Idaho, we have an abundance of geothermal energy potential that is unavailable due to Federal bureaucratic impediments. Idaho has a unique history of developing geothermal energy. I served for 4 years in the Idaho legislature, where our 100-year-old statehouse is entirely heated by geothermal energy, as are many of our downtown Boise office buildings, old and new. The annual operating costs for generating this abundant heat are essentially zero. Current law requires each geothermal exploration hole to go through an individual environmental review and approval process, discouraging energy companies from investing in projects and curtailing our access to geothermal energy. Each individual environmental review process can take between 10 months to 2 years to complete. Now, more than ever, we should encourage private enterprise by removing the regulatory burdens that stall our economic growth. My amendment does just that.…”