WASHINGTON,
D.C. – U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today made the following
opening statement at a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing to
examine current global investment trends in clean energy technologies and the
impact of domestic policies on that investment:
“Today’s
hearing is on a very broad topic and one where the conversation often leads to
a comparison of American policies with those in other countries. These
comparisons can be useful, but in making them we must be crystal clear about
some very important factors, including what our own Constitution permits, how
much taxpayer money we can afford to spend and what the American people will
support.
“The
best example of the need for this honesty is our ongoing conversation about
China, a country that has only partially opened its markets. The United States,
on the other hand, operates as a capitalist democracy. In so many ways,
conversations about our status versus China’s rely upon apples-to-oranges
comparisons. Our basic approaches to governance are vastly different – and so
are the ways our nations choose to make investments. I hope this committee
remains aware of those fundamental differences.
“It
has become popular, particularly when focused on energy policy, to say that we
are ‘falling behind’ China in a sort of ‘clean energy race.’ I would challenge
that. We can and should work with China, wherever possible, to make progress on
our energy challenges. But we should not merely copy what they do or how they
do it, whether in terms of total investment dollars or individual technologies.
“Even
China’s more progressive energy policies have been imposed with less-than-ideal
results. China has a national goal of producing 15 percent of its energy from
non-fossil fuel sources by 2020. The Three Gorges dam – a source of renewable
energy – is now producing enough electricity to replace 31 million tons of coal
and reduce China’s carbon emissions by 100 million tons annually. The dam,
however, caused the displacement of several million people from their homes and
communities.
“Another
Chinese project meant to help meet greenhouse gas emission reduction targets
involves the construction of 13 dams in a World Heritage Site that is home to
more than 80 endangered species. I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess
that the EPA would probably block that project if it was proposed here in the
United States.
“Of
course, our country’s policies are not perfect either. Even here at home –
where laws like the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act have been in place for
decades – biofuels have played a role in rising global food prices, nuclear
power has left us with spent fuel that must be safely stored, and the siting of
transmission lines to connect renewable assets to the grid has resulted in
controversy.
“I
raise these issues, not in an attempt to throw cold water on the enthusiasm for
deploying clean energy technologies, but perhaps to provide some much-needed
context and remind my colleagues of the scope of the energy and environmental
challenges we face. I understand that many believe we should be just as
enthusiastic as China when it comes to clean energy. Others look at
prices at the pump and say we should be just as enthusiastic as China when it
comes to the development of oil, natural gas, coal and other minerals.
“This
is not just about lowering the cost of financing projects we all support, or
finding money in the budget for subsidies. It is about looking honestly at the
whole picture, and devoting as much attention to identifying the areas where
the government can play a constructive role as we do identifying areas where
areas where the government is getting in the way. It’s about reaching
agreement on a viable energy policy that addresses both our immediate and
long-term needs.”
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