Elijah Cummings: “while Vice President Cheney still refuses to release the records of his Energy Task Force, it is obvious from the bill…”

“while Vice President Cheney still refuses to release the records of his Energy Task Force, it is obvious from the bill under consideration today who participated in the task force and who shaped the Energy Policy Act before us. For the uninitiated, let me tell you, it was the big oil, coal, natural gas, and nuclear energy companies and concerns who shaped this legislation. According to the Congressional Research Service, U.S. energy consumption has almost tripled between 1950 and now. The U.S. has 3 percent of the world's oil reserves--but now uses 25 percent of the oil produced in the world. In 2003, our nation used approximately 20 billion barrels of petroleum per day--while producing just under 6 billion barrels of crude oil. How much has our energy use increased? Our petroleum usage in 2003 was almost 3 times higher than it was in 1950. Our consumption of natural gas in 2003 was almost 4 times greater than in 1950. Our consumption of coal in 2003 was double the amount we used in 1950. In fact, today, in 2005, 86 percent of the energy we consume is still generated through the use of non-renewable fossil fuels. America's energy policy at this critical time should pioneer the use of renewable fuels and move our nation away from dependence on fossil fuels. At a minimum, national energy legislation should reduce our dependence on foreign oil However, the U.S.…”