Ed Whitfield: “First of all, I want to thank Dr. Christensen for being the primary author of this important legislation. H.R. 83…”

“First of all, I want to thank Dr. Christensen for being the primary author of this important legislation. H.R. 83 requires the Secretary of the Interior to assemble a team of technical, policy, and financial experts to address the energy needs of the insular areas of the United States and the freely associated states of Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands through the development of energy action plans aimed at promoting access to affordable and reliable energy. {time} 1615 These U.S. territories have few conventional energy resources, and they are dependent upon imports to meet a significant portion of their energy needs. As a result the resident of those areas pay unusually high electricity bills. In addition, because these areas are isolated from areas that provide their energy fuels, as well as the added cost of transporting these fuels, they face higher energy costs and greater threat of supply interruption than areas that are energy independent or have a more convenient source of energy fuels. Dr. Christensen has done a great job of bringing to the attention of our committee the unique challenges faced in those areas. H.R. 83 will assist these important U.S. territories in addressing their energy needs by establishing a team of energy experts to help develop and implement an energy action plan for each of these areas. Congress certainly has an ongoing interest in the energy needs of the Nation, as well as the insular areas of the U.S.…”