Date: 1992-05-27
Speaker: DE LUGO (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I rise in support of section 1404. This section recognizes the need for special planning to ensure that the U.S. associated Insular areas would -not be inadvertently cut off from their sole energy source should there be a disruption in the Nations oil supplies. It does so by requiring the Secretary of Energy to undertake a study of the unique vulnerabilities of these relatively small and distant islands to oil supply disruption. Consultation with those Federal agencies with responsibilities for these insular areasthe Office of the President in the case of Puerto Rico and the Secretary of the Interior in the case of the other insular areasis intended so that a thorough. balanced outcome is achieved. The focal point of this study. Mr. Chairman. would be to plan how these eight Caribbean and Pacific Island groups for which the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs has special responsibilities. will gain access to oil during times of national emergency. These insular areas are almost totally dependent upon imported oil. and their only means of obtaining it is through ocean shipping. Complicating their vulnerability further is their distance from any sources of oil in general. and the strategic petroleum reserve in particular. A cut off in any. oil supply to them would literally be a cut off in a lifeline to them. These points illustrate that. although the current system of allocating petroleum from the strategic petroleum reserve may be efficient in the case of the mainland United States. the current system is far fromdependable where the insular areas are concerned. Workable adjustments should therefore be made. Mr. Chairman. in light of these areas unique situations and needs. One costeffective and practical solution to * this problem might be the creation of regional reserves in the Pacific and the Caribbean. This has been requested by all of the U.S. insular area governments and proposed In the U.S. Senate. Another possibility supported by the Senate and the Interior and Insular Affairs Committee. is that the insular areas be guaranteed a small percentage of a drawdown from the strategic petroleum reserve if the Secretary agrees that this is needed to avert an insular oil crisis. -Yet another proposal endorsed by the Senate and the Interior and Insular Affairs Committee would permit priority loading of insular area vessels in order to avert an insular energy crisis Representatives of the Energy and Commerce Committee were not ready to agree to these proposals. But our distinguished colleagues. Chairman JOHN DINGELL and Subcommittee Chairman PHILIP SHARP. recognized that special provisions may need to be made to ensure insular access to vital oil supplies during an energy crisis. Thus. they. on behalf of the Energy and Commerce Committee. and Chairman GEORGE MILLER and I. on behalf of the Interior and Insular Affairs Committee. reached agreement on this provision. It substitutes for one in the Interior and Insular Affairs Committees reported bill. I have suggested some of the ways in which the emergency oil supply needs of the insular areasmay be addressed. Mr. Chairman. Careful thought and analysis will produce others. I am sure. The key point is that unlike the mainland States. which obtain their oil via rail. highway. pipeline. and tanker. these insular areas can get their oil only via tanker. They simply have no other options. In view of this. I commend all involved for recognizing the need to address this matter May 27.. 1992 which Is of such serious concern to the insular areas. In particular. as chairman of the Insular and International Affairs Subcommittee. I appreciate the cooperation of Chairmen DINGELL and SHARP. the leadership of Chairman GEORGE MILLER. the support of my fellow Representatives from Insular areas. EN F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA. ANTONIO COLORADO. and BEN BLAz. and. in the other body. the leadership of DANIEL AKAKA and actions of DANIEL INOUYE and J. BENNETT JOHNSTON.