On the recordMarch 21, 1996
those who do not learn from the mistakes of the past are condemned to repeat them. It has been 5 years since the gulf war, and yet the United States has not yet seemed to learn the dangers of being dependent on other for our energy needs. In fact, the United States is more dependent on foreign oil than ever before. More than 50 percent of our oil is imported, with about 20 percent coming from the Persian Gulf. We continue to lose producing wells, independent exploration and producing companies, as well as expertise. Talk about downsizing and exporting jobs--more than 500,000 jobs have been lost in oil and gas. And yet we go right along--acting as though domestic energy production is a luxury rather than a necessity of life in an unstable world. Madam Speaker, it's time we learned from the past and take steps now to put us on the road to energy independence.
Source
govinfo.gov
