Steve Largent: “there is a Chinese proverb that says that the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, but the next best time to plant…”

“there is a Chinese proverb that says that the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, but the next best time to plant a tree is today. The same can be said for a national energy policy. The best time to have had a national energy policy in place would have been 20 years ago, because we would not be in the position we are in today had we done that. But the next best time is today. Great leaders have the uncanny ability to climb to the highest vantage point to see where we are and where we want to be, and I want to commend and applaud the efforts of the President and Vice President for climbing to that vantage point and seeing the necessity of having a national energy policy and beginning to implement it today. Now, the key word in developing a national energy policy is the same key word in having a productive life, and that is balance. And this underlying bill and the manager's amendment, that I speak on behalf of at this time, strikes that balance.”