Political Quotes

“At a time when we should be working together to find ways to save taxpayer money and reduce the deficit, this bill proposes to waste millions of dollars on research into an inefficient and highly polluting energy extraction process known as oil shale. For 100 years, oil shale advocates and big energy companies have been selling us the promise of cheap energy through oil shale. Despite those efforts, no company has been able to deliver on that promise. It's time to end the sham and stop wasting taxpayer dollars. That's why this amendment, which I offer with my good friend Congressman Jared Polis of Colorado, would save $25 million and invest it in deficit reduction. Despite what some in the industry might claim, oil shale development won't produce affordable American energy or jobs. Mr. Chairman, just a few weeks ago, Interior Secretary Salazar pointed out that the House majority continues to confuse shale oil with oil shale, two completely different things. While they clearly sound similar, any undergraduate in geology can tell you that, in fact, one is a rock and the other is a liquid. Let me say that again so my colleagues understand. Oil shale, derived from a rock, is not to be confused with shale oil. While shale oil is experiencing a boom in development, oil shale technology simply doesn't exist, a fact recently confirmed by the Congressional Budget Office.…”