How would you describe our current energy crisis?
Our energy crisis directly affects our national security, our economic security, and our environmental security. For centuries, Americans have been at the forefront in developing the technologies that move us. We connected our railroads from east to west, we put a man on the moon, and we built a state-of-the-art interstate highway system connecting New York to California and Chicago to St. Louis. Our commitment to progress and overcoming obstacles made us global leaders in technology. Yet our nation’s energy crisis has been looming since the oil shocks of the 1970s. And we have an obligation – to our citizens and to our world – to rise to the challenges of the next frontier in energy.
What do you believe is critical to addressing our energy crisis?
As Boone has highlighted, we currently send $700 billion annually overseas for foreign oil. With 70 percent of American oil use going to the transportation sector, I agree with the Pickens Plan to fuel more cars with natural gas. To reduce our oil consumption, we need to give American drivers a choice of how they fuel their cars; natural gas vehicles can help provide that choice. And I believe that an energy policy aimed at curbing our addition to oil will allow us to create new jobs, curb global warming, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.
Are you and Boone Pickens longtime allies?
No. I’ve only come to know Boone recently, and as a Democratic Congressman from Chicago, I tend to disagree with most oilmen from Texas. When it comes to finding ways to help Americans fuel their cars and protect our environment and our homeland, I am proud to say I agree with Boone on putting more natural gas vehicles on the roads.
What have you done to push this forward?
This summer, Representative Dan Boren from Oklahoma and I introduced the New Alternative Transportation to Give Americans Solutions (NAT GAS) Act to invest in natural gas vehicle infrastructure and provide American drivers a choice of how they fuel their vehicles. Congress included provisions from our bill as part of the Comprehensive American Energy Security & Consumer Protection Act (H.R. 6899), which passed earlier this month.
What are some of the other benefits to developing natural gas as a transportation fuel?
Natural gas is cheaper and cleaner than gasoline, and just as important, we have it right here in America. Ninety-eight percent of natural gas currently consumed in the U.S. is from North America, and recent shale plays – newly tapped sources of natural gas – are significantly increasing our domestic production.
What’s the next step?
It’s time to seize the opportunity to fulfill our Nation’s promise to the world. We must invest in the frontier of energy-efficient technology, as we did our railroads, our highways, and our missions to the moon. I’m going to keep working with my colleagues to give Americans a choice when it comes to how they fuel their cars, and we’re all going to have to keep working to build an America that thrives on green technologies as we continue to lead in the 21st century.
REMARKS EDITED BY ERIC O’KEEFE FROM A STATEMENT PROVIDED BY REP. EMANUEL