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Guest Commentary: June 23, 2001
No Quick Fix to Energy Crisis
The Honorable Dennis Rehberg
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While prices rise at the pump to over $2 a gallon in some places and Californians are forced to contend with blackouts, this Nation is still in a position to extricate ourselves from this crisis and once and for all prevent future energy and fuel shortages.
There is no quick fix or one-stop-shop solution to this problem. Through a balanced approach combining research and development, capital investment and conservation measures, we can once and for all provide our Nation with clean, abundant energy.
We must commit ourselves to developing cheaper and more efficient ways of harnessing renewable sources of energy. We can now only meet a fraction of our energy needs with solar, hydro and wind powers. If we invest in developing these clean, unending energy sources, we will in time be able to satisfy much of our demand without using a drop of oil or a lump of coal.
While research and development will take time to show their benefits, there are things we can do now to ameliorate our situation. Building new power plants will start us on the road to providing energy for the near future. Improving our energy infrastructure will deliver what energy we have to homes, businesses and industries in a more efficient manner.
Finally, we must face the reality that energy is wasted. Eliminating this waste will not be easy, but a small sacrifice now will avoid the necessity of even greater sacrifices later. Fellow citizens, by turning your lights out at night, buying energy-efficient appliances and taking public transportation, you can reduce our collective energy need drastically. Every time you turn off a light you will be brightening the light of America's future.
I have confidence in American solutions to America's energy problems. Ingenuity, self-sacrifice and faith in science and the future will deliver us into an era in which we will no longer have to worry about our energy needs.
Note: This column has been adapted from a speech Rep. Rehberg delivered on the floor of the House, June 21, 2001.
 How to contact Representative Dennis Rehberg (R-Montana)
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