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Capitol Comment
by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
In Pursuit of Energy Independence
March 30, 2007
In this high-stakes war on terror, the U.S. is continually compromised by our dependence on oil from the Middle East and other hostile parts of the world. To strengthen our national security and solidify our global economic leadership, we must unite behind a plan for energy independence.
Some politicians only want to confiscate corporate profits used for job creation and investment. But any economist will tell you that reducing the incentive to produce oil will simply reduce supply. That's something America has seen before and can't afford again.
I believe a better strategy is to unleash the power of free minds and free markets so we can explore, produce and grow energy in America.
One of my top priorities this session is to advance Texas as a national leader in the accelerating effort to develop alternative energy sources. We have been blessed with a plentiful supply of oil and natural gas, and those resources have helped fuel our state's transformation into an economic giant – the 10th-largest economy in the world.
But that shouldn't prevent us from recognizing the untapped potential of other energy sources in the air, water, fields – even in our landfills. Our state's supply of sun, wind, waves and biomass are all undeveloped energy sources.
Equally important, Texas has another remarkable resource – the creative, innovative minds of our own people. We need to start using those minds to invent the breakthrough sources that will help fuel the world in the 21st century.
Texas colleges and universities are ideally situated to serve as leading research institutions for alternative energy. By exploiting natural and technological advantages, we can diversify our state economy and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.
I have recently proposed the Creating Renewable Energy through Science and Technology, or CREST, Act to help put this strategy into effect – by providing a comprehensive, coordinated national research effort to spur the development of renewable energy.
I propose to create a national Council on Renewable Energy, which will focus on advancing offshore wind production, solar power, alternative biofuels and wave energy.
Wave energy? Yes. According to the World Energy Council, 0.2 percent of the ocean's untapped energy could provide enough power for the entire world. Useful energy can be generated from marine currents using submerged turbines comprised of rotor blades and a generator.
Various governments in Europe have invested significant resources into wave and tidal energy projects; this research could be adapted to conditions in the Gulf of Mexico. The Loop Current, just off our coast, moves 80 million cubic meters of water per second, a tremendous amount of energy just waiting to be harnessed.
Texas is the largest producer of wind power in the nation, and wind is the fastest-growing source of electricity generation in the world. More than 2,000 wind turbines operate in West Texas, a number that will grow as costs plunge and technology improves. Since existing infrastructure in the Gulf can serve as structures for wind generation, our state offers a unique advantage to offshore producers as well.
We also rank first in the nation in solar resource potential. According to the State Energy Conservation Office, the energy from sunshine falling on a single acre of land in West Texas is capable of producing the energy equivalent of 800 barrels of oil each year.
Biofuels also make sense. New products like cellulosic ethanol – which processes materials other than corn, such as discarded wood chips or fast-growing, low-maintenance grasses – promise to create a fuel with twice the energy yield of corn-based ethanol.
Alternative fuels could be a bonanza for the hard-working men and women of Texas and a vital element of our national security. We just need the research and leadership to put these ideas into action.
So I'll push for the CREST Act, which will create an advisory board to recommend to Congress federal investments in the most promising renewable energy research. This, in turn, will help finance our state's development of alternative energy.
As Texans, we'll always prize our oil and natural gas resources, but we must also seize the initiative to develop all available energy resources. A stable, affordable, environmentally friendly energy supply is key to our prosperity.
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