Ralph Hall: “I just want to simply say that at a time when we import 60 percent of our oil from OPEC countries and others, we need to…”

“I just want to simply say that at a time when we import 60 percent of our oil from OPEC countries and others, we need to be encouraging domestic production of fossil fuels. We have it. We don't have anywhere else to turn. I just think energy is such a national security issue, not a partisan political issue. We have to move beyond partisan rhetoric and pass a sensible energy legislation that would promote all sources of energy, increases our domestic capacity, reduce the cost of energy, promote technologies to make fossil fuels including coal, clean coal cleaner and more efficient. This week Democratic House leaders have been scrambling to get energy legislation to the floor before Congress recesses for August, yet the bill they are hoping to pass today doesn't create any new energy and doesn't help meet America's energy needs. The Democrats' energy bill doesn't expand our domestic energy supply one drop of oil. Our economy depends on fossil fuels, yet opponents of oil and gas continue to push legislation to raise taxes on our domestic energy producers and refiners, making American energy more expensive, and making us even more dependent on foreign, unstable regimes. Bio-fuels and other alternative energy sources have great potential, but are not ready to replace fossil fuels on a large scale in our domestic energy portfolio.”