Date: 1982-06-23
Speaker: ST GERMAIN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. today. the House is scheduled to consider. among other legislative matters. passage of H.R. 6337. a bill to extend certain authorities relating to the international energy program. I again urge my fellow Members to support the purposes of this measure. and to send a message (perhaps best described as a "to whom it may concern") that the United States intends to stand by its commitments to the purposes of a strategic petroleum reserve. and that those commitments are. indeed. as important domestically as they are internationally. It is in this respect. that I would like to remind my colleagues of the implications and significance of similar actions by the other body only 2 weeks ago. On May 26. by a vote of 51 to 44. the other body approved an increase in the fill rate of the SPR (to 300.000 bbls/day). Existing storage systems cannot readily accomodate that rate of fill. so to offset that condition. the other body adopted. without objection. an amendment directing that. a study be submitted to the Congress no later than December 13. 1982. concerning the need for establishing a regional SPR. The study is to examine the economic benefits and the costs of such a regional reserve at various potential. locations. This is a very important addition to the proposed legislation. and one which I believe holds special meaning for residents of the Northeast. the Midwest. our east coast region. and the Ohio Valley. I am equally sure that ultimate provision for some regional reserve along our west coast. and in Hawiil may also. in time. prove an attractive option. The idea of regionalizing a portion of our national strategic petroleum reserve is not new. Earlier consideration. in 1978. of the merit of such a reserve has already created a track upon which such a study as is called for in the legislation. can proceed. Facilities for location. costs. benefits. user groups and the like can be. and in some cases have been. identified. Other benefits may also surface. as those who will conduct this proposed study undertake their task. I would urge that. upon passage today of H.R. 6337. that the House conferees bear in mind the increased interest of such regions as the Northeast. the east coast. the Midwest. and the Far West. in having more access to regional reserve systems. Late last year. I introduced House Joint Resolution 355. requesting that serious discussions be undertaken with the Government of Canada. regarding establishment of a regional strategic petroleum reserve by the United States and Canada. Twentyone of my fellow Members have thus far joined with me in sponsoring this resolution. and for very good reasons. First. past and recent events in the Mideast heighten the concern of all of us for future dependable sources of petroleum from the Persian Gulf area. especially for purposes connected with the continued uninterrupted operation of key American industries. Second. a major concentration of the Western Hemispheres industrial base is located in the Northeastern and Midwestern States of the United States. as well as the Eastern Provinces of Canada. Third. any significant disruption of imported petroleum supplies to these areas clearly would pose a critical threat to that concentration of industry and would clearly endanger the national security and economic health of both countries. Mr. Chairman. on June 22. the Governors of the Northeastern New England States and the Premiers of the Eastern Canadian Maritime Provinces of Newfoundland. Nova Scotia. Prince Edward Island. New Brunswick. and Quebec met and adopted a resolution calling for the establishment of a regional strategic petroleum reserve. Their discussion centered on the major provisions contained in House Joint Resolution 355. I include the resolution on this issue. adopted during the 10th Conference of the Governors and the Provincial Premiers in the RECORD at this point: