Support Increased Domestic Energy Production

Floor Speech

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Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank the gentleman for hosting this here tonight.

This is extremely important, and the House Energy Action Team and the Members who have spoken here and the Members who will continue to speak play an important role in making sure that we get this message out, because, Madam Speaker, I am here to join my colleagues in discussing America's energy resurgence and to bring to light the many developments and advances that have been made in our Nation, and there are many. Lots of developments, lots of advances have been made in our Nation.

We are in the midst of an economic boom. We all know that. We know that our economy is booming. We know that we have seen record low unemployment rates and that we have seen growing incomes. Simply put, jobs are being created and people are going back to work. As we look to the Nation's energy needs and output, people will often forget about how energy costs impact both people and the economy.

I have always said that I subscribe to the all-of-the-above type of energy strategy, and I do; and I think it is extremely important for a number of different reasons, not the least of which is to make sure that we in America have energy independence, to make sure that we have affordable energy, that we never put ourselves in the position that I can remember us being in in the late seventies, where we were dependent and were literally held over the barrel, if you will, by other nations for our energy needs.

We as a nation benefit from lower energy costs, meaning our monthly home energy bills are lower and the costs to do business are lower. Lower costs translate into the ability of companies to invest in their businesses and in their employees.

American energy independence has been crucial to the growth we have seen since the recession. There is also significant investment by companies across the United States to be good stewards of their communities.

Yes, it can be done. Yes, we can have energy independence. Yes, we can be good stewards of our communities.

We are seeing significant investments in new, cleaner technologies, taking old and inefficient plants off-line, looking to energy efficiency and actively managing emissions. As has been mentioned by other speakers, we have done a great job in America of decreasing our emissions and still keeping our economy growing. There is a lot to be said for that.

Carbon management has really caught on for a number of employers, and the technology that can make it more effective is very promising. For instance, there are companies actively looking to pull carbon from the air, to sequester it into the ground through direct air capture. This technology continues to develop and to mature.

There are also important carbon capture systems being developed in my home district. We are seeing incredibly efficient turbines being built that produce much lower emission numbers than similar products or plants.

In addition, I have the honor of serving on the Energy and Commerce Committee, and we have done quite a bit of work addressing the regulatory issues that would prevent these innovative and new technologies from coming to market. We are doing everything that we can to get the government out of the way.

I have always said that the greatest innovators, the greatest scientists are right here in the United States of America, and they are. That is why I look toward the future with great anticipation, because I think this is going to be a great opportunity for us as Americans.

I look at renewable energy. I look at everything that is going to be done in the way of energy production, and I see America leading the way, and it is important the Federal Government not be an obstacle, not be a barrier to that.

As more regulatory hurdles are put up, the costs increase. That is why we focus on innovation and technology, new ideas and making sure that the private sector has the ability to explore these opportunities.

As I mentioned earlier, there are countless examples of employers seeking new options to reduce their impact on their communities and looking to ways to be good stewards. In manufacturing alone, companies are looking at how to turn those challenges of reducing consumption into new opportunities.

While one side of industry is looking at that, the energy sector is also investing in researching ways to become more efficient and effective when it comes to reducing emissions and expanding their energy mix.

Madam Speaker, if you want to see a country that can innovate, if you want to see a country that can lead, you look to the United States of America. Again, that is why I am so excited about the future of our energy production.

Just up the river from my district, Plant Vogtle has the only two nuclear units under construction in the United States. For a nation that once developed and dominated the nuclear sector, we have lagged behind direct competitors.

As the largest carbon-free source of power in the world, it makes sense to move forward with developing next-generation technology that can lower costs. Nuclear energy is an area we can and should continue to once again have a leading role in the world.

Whether it is nuclear, more efficient equipment, carbon capture, or some other form of energy, now is our chance to really drill down and focus on the innovation and technology development that is needed.

I join my colleagues here on the HEAT team as we continue to work towards policy solutions to these issues facing our country.

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