Think Big America; Big Ideas for Energy
June 29, 2010: Speaker: Former Texas Congressman, Charlie Stenholm, introduced by Rich Dukes.
Mr. Dukes introduced Rep. Stenholm as a Sr. policy advisor in Wash. D.C. and lobbyist.
Rep. Stenholm stated that his topic would be: Federal energy policy and alternative sources of energy. He said: “I’m not a lobbyist, I’m an educator.” He stated that he represented “big oil, little oil and Texas oil.”
He talked about the oil well blow out in the Gulf and remembered the 11 lives lost in that disaster, the 30,000 who live and work in the Gulf every day. He also stated that these deep water wells are necessary because 70% of all of our oil comes from deep water wells.
Regarding the Gulf accident he said: “The definition of smart is believing one half of what you hear. The definition of brilliant is knowing which half to believe.”
Rep. Stenholm said that he supports all supplemental energy sources. He said that we cannot replace fossil fuels for the next 50 years. The sources of alternative energy he spoke of supporting are: nuclear, hydrogen, wind, solar, bio fuels, coal, oil and gas. He said that there are no alternatives to fossil fuels, but there are supplemental energy sources. Ten years ago he opposed ethanol, but now he supports it.
He returned to speaking about the Gulf, saying that this is the greatest environmental disaster in our lifetime and that the possibility of a hurricane in the Gulf made it even worse. He stated that our goal should be to: “Plug the hole, clean up the mess and figure out what went wrong so that it doesn’t happen again.”
He stated that if we’d drilled in ANWAR 10 years ago, we would have an ample amount of domestic oil. He also said that the Obama plan to start drilling offshore again, prior to the disaster in the Gulf, was the right decision.
In terms of our current energy policy, he does not believe that “cap and trade” is a good idea.
He spoke about the national debt, saying that from Washington through the Clinton years, the debt was $5 Trillion. Through the Bush years, it went up to $10 trillion. At the conclusion of the Obama presidency, it will be $20 trillion. 7% of GDP (gross domestic product) is energy related.
He said that he was worried about a 6 month moratorium being placed on offshore drilling by President Obama. He said that it would take a drastic toll on the economy and on the price of gasoline.
He stated that the oil companies have not been good stewards of the land in the past, but with horizontal drilling capabilities and other advancements in drilling procedures, they have become far better stewards of the land.
“The marketplace is the best determinate of what the policy should be.” Stenholm
“We, in the oil patch, make some mistakes. We’re not perfect but we will learn how to take care of the problem. We will come up with a solution.” Stenholm
His final statement was: “Plug the hole, clean up the mess, discover the cause, and figure out how to do it right next time.”
There was only one question: How do we fund the surface transportation bill? Answer: “enact a carbon tax.” Stenholm’s closing thought was America needs to “think big!”
Submitted by: Bill Christian, Keyway Committee