Maurice Hinchey: “let me make an observation, if I may, in connection with the comments that were made just a moment ago by the gentleman…”

“let me make an observation, if I may, in connection with the comments that were made just a moment ago by the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cardin). I think that occasionally, if we look at these issues superficially, we fail to recognize the co-relationship between issues that sometimes are taken separately and distinctly and not joined together. The gentleman mentioned the relationship, for example, between the environment and energy. And there is a clear nexus there, obviously, that needs to be dealt with. And in that regard, it gives another opportunity to talk a little bit about the initiatives of Vice President Gore and his leadership on both environmental and energy issues in a way that addresses the complexities of both. For example, we know that we are increasingly dependent upon foreign oil. I think we are importing now something in the neighborhood of 56 percent of the oil that we consume here in the United States from outside of our borders. This becomes, at that level, an issue even of national security. We are far too dependent upon outside sources for the fossil fuel that we depend upon for transportation, for heating, and for a variety of other uses. Now, that is something that we have to deal with. We have to gain energy independence to a greater degree. We have to reduce our reliance on foreign oil. How do we do that? One of the ways in which we do it is to develop alternative sources of energy.…”