Byron Dorgan: “As a member of the Energy Committee, I am pleased to work with Senator Bingaman. He has done an extraordinary job. We…”

“As a member of the Energy Committee, I am pleased to work with Senator Bingaman. He has done an extraordinary job. We have had many Members of the Senate come to the floor of the Senate talking about the urgency of having a new energy policy. I agree with that urgency and that the policy should be new, and I agree it ought to be a balanced, comprehensive policy. The other body, the House of Representatives, wrote an energy bill that I classified as kind of a dig-and-drill bill that is not changing anything very much. It is just trying to produce more of that which we have been using. This legislation enhances production of oil, natural gas, and coal in an environmentally acceptable way. We agree with that proposition. But it is also the case that we believe much more needs to be done. I wonder if the Senator from New Mexico would describe again the components, other than enhanced production, which we have in this comprehensive plan--the components of conservation, efficiency, and renewable energy, which I think are so important to a balanced energy plan. I wonder if the Senator from New Mexico would especially talk about conservation because I think that is a significant portion of any energy policy that would work in the long term for this country.”