Date: 1981-09-23
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. high interest rates. proposals to cut social security. and budget deficits are dominating the minds of policymakers at present. However. the obvious importance of these Issues should not totally obscure another crucial areathe need to maintain a balanced national energy policy. The first 9 months of this administrations tenure have been spent in dismantling and undercutting the development of several different types of alternatives to Imported oil. Research in fossil fuels has already been cut by twothirds. Further cuts in fossil fuel research are likely to be proposed. Energy conservation and solar power programs are targets for additional deep cuts. One scenario reportedly required of the Energy Department by the Office of Management and Budget would shut down all fossil. solar. and conservation research programs. It Is clear that the administration his not been paying attention to the energy developments of our recent past. Oil gluts have appeared and disappeared over the past 7 years at irregular Intervals. International politics has as often as not been the cause of wild fluctuations In the price and supply of foreign oil. It is extremely unwise and shortsighted to be complacent about our oil supply situation. The United States Is not alone in its substantial dependence on Imported oil. our European allies import even larger por tions of their total energy supply than we do. Their interest in developing a natural gas pipeline to deliver supplies from the Soviet Union Is an indication of European dependence on outside fuel supplies.. coal produced In America can and should make a contribution to lessenling our -own dependence on foreign oil. American coal exported to Europe and Japafi can alleviate some of the economic and political burdens borne by those countries as part of the price of oil. one traditional supplier of coal to Europe has been Poland. Polands coal production Is currently 20percent lower than last year. and European customers for Polish coal have had to look elsewhere for fuel supplies. -In short. the world energy supply situation should not be regarded as fixed. We have seen the eff ects of unexpected shifts in world energy supplies: Inflation. unemployment. and fuel shortages. The WTestern countries must continue to cooperate In longterm energy planning. and must seek to develop a variety of alternative supplies to fuel our economies. The vast American storehouse of coal cannot be overlooked in this effort. To insure that this energy aceInthehole is used will require a strong commitment on the part of this administration. American coal development also requires that a serious effort be made to remedy coal transportation problems. The state of our ports. handling facilities. railways. and waterways is far from adequate. It is ironic that the worlds most economically advanced nation has a crumbling transportation system for the worlds largest coal reserves. Former ambassador Henry Owen. who was involved with the economic summit meettigs of the Western nations and Japan from 1977 until 1980. has written an aritcle in The New York Times of September 20 that addresses the question of coal exports from the United States. I commend the article to the attention of my colleagues. as It explores a key aspect of a balanced American energy polIcy. I ask unanimous consent that the article. entitled "Getting the Coal on the Road." be printed in the RECORD at this point.