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Alaskan Congressman Don Young voted on the House floor today against a misguided energy bill orchestrated by outsiders that would wreak havoc on energy prices in Alaska. Under the guise of a fuel efficiency bill, H.R. 6, the CLEAN Energy Act of 2007, is more accurately described as an Energy Suicide Act.

"Mr. Speaker," said Rep. Young on the House floor this afternoon, "It’s not very hard to understand why our country is facing an energy crisis. It’s pretty simple.

"America needs more oil, gas, coal, nuclear and hydropower. We even need more wind power. But Congress is refusing to unlock these resources. Instead, we’re supposed to run the world’s biggest economy on corn, switch grass, and few more hybrid cars.

"My friends, oil, gas, coal, nuclear and hydropower are the backbone and heart of this nation’s energy mix. They supply more than 95 percent of our energy needs to fuel the world’s number one economy. And I would add that developing them does not raise the price of food.

"There is no shortage of these energy resources in America. There is a shortage of the will to develop them. In fact, the Majority Leadership of this body, the last two Democratic presidents, and their allies in the environmental movement have created a false energy shortage through their constant attempts to lock up homegrown energy.

"Let me give a few examples. They want to ban all U.S. offshore oil and gas development. They oppose U.S. oil production from North America’s largest on-shore oil prospect. They stopped oil shale development in the omnibus spending bill.

"They oppose coal and even applauded when President Clinton locked up millions of tons of clean coal in Utah.

"They want the tens of trillions of cubic feet of clean-burning natural gas in the Rocky Mountains locked up forever.

"They oppose new nuclear power plants.

"They oppose hydroelectric power, and they even want to tear down non-polluting hydroelectric dams in the Northwest.

"They want to impose high taxes on the use of energy, driving energy prices paid by your constituents even higher than they are now.

"They’re even opposed to using biomass from overgrown, unhealthy forests as a renewable fuel supply. In particular, the biofuel mandate in this bill is a direction to burn down forests and to close more mills in the West. More than half of Alaska is federal land, and we have enormous potential for a biofuels industry.  This bill makes sure that never happens

"This bill would hold Alaska to the highest standards; Alaskans would be forced to purchase the most efficient – read most expensive – appliances. 

"The residents of the wealthy district where San Francisco is located have the money to buy the most efficient, expensive furnaces and air conditioners, and I would bet most of them are inclined to spend their money on them. 

"Many Alaskans, however, cannot afford to spend the extra two, three, four hundred dollars for the most efficient furnaces.  Under this bill they’ll have to. In a survey of 100 Alaskan communities, the average price of a gallon of gas was $4.49.

"Democrat Leaders are playing Russian Roulette with the economy. This year, every bill we’ve passed concerning energy is another bullet in the chamber of a gun staring point blank at America’s head … and by my count it’s almost fully loaded.

"I urge my colleagues to vote "no."

The bill, written in secret behind closed doors, will do nothing to reduce our dependence on hostile foreign nations, nor will it bring relief to Americans suffering from rising energy costs. The only positive aspect of this bill is the provision providing grants for renewable energy, and more importantly, Alaska small hydroelectric projects. Such a strong project should not be bundled into such a terrible piece of legislation, it should stand on its own, and for that reason Rep. Young introduced the Renewable and Hydroelectric Energy for Alaska’s Tomorrow (Renewable HEAT) Act, H.R. 4773. This bill will authorize the Department of Energy to make grants to carry out renewable energy and hydro-electric projects.   

Rep. Young’s floor statement from today can be viewed at /

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