David Thomas: “I want to go back a little bit to one of the issues that is before us that has to do with energy and energy policy.…”

“I want to go back a little bit to one of the issues that is before us that has to do with energy and energy policy. Certainly, we are faced at the moment with some real difficulties in terms of winter use of heating oil. There are differences of view as to what we do with the strategic storage. I understand that. But aside from that, I think in one way or another we certainly need to help those people who will need help this winter in terms of price and in terms of availability. We had a hearing yesterday with the Secretary of Energy. Quite frankly, I didn't get any feel for where we are going in the long term. What we have done here, of course, over the last number of years with the fact that this administration has had an energy policy--some have accused them of having no policy; I suggest there has been a policy--is to basically not do anything to encourage, and, in fact, discourage, domestic production. The result of that, of course, has been that since 1992, U.S. oil production is down 17 percent and consumption is up 14 percent. We have had a reduction since 1990 in U.S. jobs producing and exploring for oil. At that point, we had over 400,000 workers. Now to do the same thing, the number is down 27 percent. We have had a policy that despite the increased use of energy, which is not to be unexpected in this kind of a prosperous time, we have sought to reduce exploration, and we have become more dependent on foreign oil.”