John Boccieri

Mr. BOCCIERI

Mr. BOCCIERI. Well, I thank the Congressman for his passion. Before we wrap this up this evening, we've got to hear from a young, bright mind from Ohio. Congressman Ryan, thank you for joining us tonight. Give us some of your words.

Mr. BOCCIERI. Thank you, Congressman Ryan. You're exactly right that the pillars of this legislation are about creating jobs in America, moving away from our dependence on foreign oil, and making our Nation more secure. National security is a big issue. Congressman Kratovil.

Mr. BOCCIERI. Mr. Tonko, why don't you take a minute and wrap it up.

Mr. BOCCIERI. I thank the gentlemen for joining us tonight. This has been a very intriguing dialogue, and I hope we garner a deeper appreciation for what it means to become energy independent. You all have the right vision. Now we have to find the courage in the Senate. We have to find 60 patriots in the Senate who will stand up and put America first and suggest that this is about producing and creating jobs here in our country, protecting our national security, and moving away from our dependence on foreign oil. So with that, I will yield to my good friend from New York as we wrap it up.

Mr. BOCCIERI. Mr. Speaker, let's get this done for America. We yield back.

Mr. BOCCIERI

Mr. BOCCIERI. Mr. Speaker, a fine Republican President, Teddy Roosevelt, said, ``The worst thing you can do in a moment of decision is nothing.'' And we are charged with measures of action or inaction. That is why the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was about investing in our people, in our country, in our roads, our bridges, our schools, and they are already starting to show the difference. I see signs all over my district saying ``This job was created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.'' And I must say that we have sent billions of dollars overseas to build brand new Iraqi roads, Iraqi schools and Iraqi buildings, but it is time to invest in our people. Will we put America back to work? Will we delay or make a difference? Will we lead or will we block? Will we invest in our country, in our people, our way of life, or we will send that money overseas? We have the decision. Will we act or will we not?

Mr. BOCCIERI

Mr. BOCCIERI. Well, I thank the gentleman from New York and his insight and accuracy with respect to this issue and the importance that it has for our Nation. Now, I must give you this prelude. I approach this legislation from a very deep perspective that I've had throughout my life. For the last 15 years, I have served in the United States Air Force as a C-130 pilot, and I have to tell you that there is no matter before this Congress more important than the steps we are taking to create a situation by which our Nation can become energy independent. I must tell you that I hail from the Midwest, and I know my friend hails from New York, but I have to tell you that this bill and this legislation coming before the Congress is about Midwest innovation and breaking our reliance on Mideast oil. The pillars of this legislation are creating jobs, thousands of jobs in our country and hundreds of thousands of jobs alone in my district in Ohio, the 16th Congressional District. The pillar of this legislation is about national security, about moving away from our dependence on foreign oil. Those two noble causes right now are a track worth defending right now. I stand here with my colleagues today to tell you that we must do something. We will be judged by two measures, Mr. Speaker, two measures: by action or inaction. I remember in the 1970s when I stood with my father in line to wait so that we could fill up for a tank of gas. Back then, back then we had a Democrat-controlled Congress. We had a Democrat President, but we didn't have the political will to make this happen. This Congress and this President are saying, No more. No more to outsourcing our dependence to foreign petro-dictators, if you will, that don't have the interests of the United States at stake. My colleague talked about some of those, and let me just put this down to you right now. In 2003, a U.S. Department of Defense study concluded that the risk of abrupt climate change should be elevated beyond a scientific debate to a U.S. national security concern. We talked about how much oil we've used from overseas. We imported over 66 percent just last year, accounting for nearly 16 percent of all import spending. My friends, we must do something. Now, this is not just John Boccieri saying this on the floor of the House of Representatives. This is not my friend Mike McMahon from New York saying this or my friend Frank Kratovil from Maryland suggesting this. Every Presidential candidate running for the highest office in our country last year said that this is a matter of national security. You heard the words of my friend from New York when he talked about Senator John McCain, who I have great respect for, a man who I flew out of Baghdad while he was visiting our troops, a man who put his life on the line for the country. I want the American people and our colleagues here tonight to listen to this. It's about cap-and-trade. There will be incentives for people to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It's a free-market approach. Let me repeat that. It is a free-market approach. The Europeans are doing it. We did it in the case of addressing acid rain. We're doing a cap-and-trade program right now in the United States here that's been in existence for 19 years. Look, if we do that, we will stimulate green technologies. This will be a profit-making business. It won't cost the American taxpayer. Let me repeat that again. John McCain said that it's a free-market approach and it won't cost the American taxpayer. Joe Lieberman and I introduced a cap-and-trade proposal 7 years ago which would reduce greenhouse gases with a gradual reduction. We did the same thing with acid rain. This works. It works. My friends, this is about our national security. John McCain and every other Presidential candidate running for office last year said that it's a matter of national security. The Department of Defense is saying it's a matter of national security. But all of a sudden, our friends here that we have this debate with are running away from national security. For what, I have no idea. But I'll tell you this much. This is our opportunity to put America on a track where we can create jobs in the heartland and in the cities of great New York and in the suburbs of Maryland. We can create jobs and we can protect our national security. After having fought--one last point, Mr. McMahon. After having served overseas flying wounded and fallen soldiers out of Baghdad, it is very clear that our presence in the Middle East is about that 66 percent that Congressman McMahon talked about, because 40 percent of that 66 percent that has come from overseas comes from the Middle East. And this is the time that we have to act.

Mr. BOCCIERI. I thank the gentlemen from New York and Maryland for their insight. And we talked about what our friends on the other side are suggesting about the cost. But let me ask you this profound question: What is the cost of doing nothing? What is the cost of doing nothing? 500 billion, $1 trillion overseas? This is a matter of our national security. And I must tell you that if 27 percent of all America's cars were hybrid electric gasoline vehicles, much like Ford has produced with its Escape, and much like we have with some of the other models coming before the market, if just 20 percent of all American cars were hybrid gasoline electric models, the United States could stop importing oil from the Persian Gulf. Just 20 percent of the vehicles on our roads, we would end our dependence on oil from the Persian Gulf. This is the pillar of our legislation, national security, creating jobs and moving away from our dependence on foreign oil. That's what an energy policy in the United States should encompass. That's what it should evolve into, and that's what this legislation is about. If you will just indulge me, I want to read some quotes here from some of our colleagues who were running for President on the other side of the aisle. Rudolph Giuliani said we need to use and expand the use of hybrid vehicles. Remember, just 27 percent of all vehicles on the roads of the United States would end our dependence on oil from the Persian Gulf. Clean coal, carbon sequestration, which is very important to a State like Ohio, where we have a great abundance of coal and carbon capture. We can use that in Ohio. $180 billion in this bill for carbon capture and sequestration and studying that. The United States Air Force is testing synthetic fuels right now, blended fuels at Wright Patterson Air Force Base because they know, back in the 1940s, when the United States bombed the Ploesti Romanian oil fields and cut off the Germans' supply of oil, the Germans quickly transitioned to synthetic fuel, a derivative of coal. We're reaching that in Ohio, and the United States military is doing the same. We have more coal reserves in the United States than oil reserves in Saudi Arabia. This should be a major national project. This is a matter of our national security. Let me reference our friend, Mitt Romney, a good American, suggested that there are multiple reasons for us to say we want to be less dependent on foreign energy and to develop our own sources. That's the real key, of course, additional sources of energy here, as well as more efficient use of energy. That will allow the world to have less oil being drawn down from the various sources it comes from, without dropping prices to too high of a level. It will keep people, some of whom are unsavory characters, from having an influence on our foreign policy. Let me add Mr. Huckabee. Mr. Huckabee, a good American, plays the guitar very well by the way, I should add. Mr. Huckabee said, So it's critical that our own interests, economically and from a point of national security, we commit to becoming energy independent and that we commit to doing it within a decade. We sent Americans to the Moon in a decade. We can become energy independent in a decade. We have to take responsibility for our own house before we can expect others to do the same for theirs. It goes back to my basic concept of leadership. Leaders don't ask others to do what they are unwilling to do themselves. Very, very profound statement right there. And we know it's often been said that fear is not a tool of leadership; it's a tool of the status quo. One last one. Our good friend, Mr. Paul. We serve with him here; I just spoke with him the other day on the floor. Mr. Paul said, True conservatives and libertarians have no right to pollute their neighbors' property. You have no right to pollute your neighbors' air, water or anything. And this would all contribute to the protection of all air and water. One last point, Mr. McMahon. The Truman Project suggested that economic disruptions associated with global climate change are projected by the CIA and other intelligence experts to place increased pressure on weaker nations that may be unable to provide basic needs and maintain order for their own citizens. This is a matter of national security. I yield back.

Mr. BOCCIERI. Thank you, Congressman McMahon. So let me get this straight: The pillars of this legislation are about creating jobs right here in America that can't be outsourced. When you build a brand new nuclear reactor, when you build an electric hybrid car, when you build an electric grid, those are jobs and those are materials that cannot be outsourced. So it's about creating jobs. Another pillar of this legislation is about national security and about moving away from our dependence on foreign oil. Who wouldn't be for that? Let's go over this again. In 2003, a Department of Defense study suggested that the risk of abrupt climate change should be elevated beyond a scientific debate to a U.S. national security concern. The CIA and other intelligence experts said that the economic disruptions associated with climate change are projected to put pressure on weak nations that may be unable to provide the basic needs and maintain order for their civilians. If we just invested in electric hybrid cars and 27 percent of our vehicles here in the United States were gasoline-electric hybrid models, the United States could stop importing oil from the Persian Gulf. 66.4 percent of our oil came from overseas last year, over 40 percent came from the Persian Gulf. We're fighting two wars there. Our Nation's military is there. It's time to bring our troops home safely, honorably and soon, end this addiction that we have to Middle Eastern oil. Teddy Roosevelt, a great Republican, said this: In a moment of decision, the worst thing that you could do is nothing. What about drilling? In the Senate version, we're going to expand drilling here in the United States. Expand it in the Gulf of Mexico. We know that we can't sustain that, though, with 22 million barrels of oil consumed here in the United States every day and only 3 percent of the world's reserves here in the United States. After we consume 25 percent of the world's oil, we can't sustain it. Do the math. What about jobs? Manufacturing, in 1950, accounted for over half of every job in America. We're at 10 percent now. Let's produce jobs here. Let's make solar panels so that they can recharge our batteries. Let's do things like fuel cell research like we're doing in the 16th Congressional District. Let's do electric hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrids like we're doing in the 16th Congressional District. Let's research clean coal, and coal is an abundant and cheap source of energy. We're going to use it, we're going to make it cleaner, and we're going to make certain that it is a long and sustaining source of energy for us for years to come. Let's talk about the 8,000 manufactured parts that go into a wind turbine. Can you imagine the Timken roller bearings being made in my district making the roller bearings for these big wind turbines? Can you imagine SARE Plastics in my hometown making the molding and the plastic molding that would go in to making the fiberglass infrastructure. These are jobs that cannot be outsourced because we're going to use them. We're going to consume right here, consume that energy right here in the United States. This is one of the most important issues that we have to tackle. This is about the longevity of our country, quite frankly, my friends. This is about what my four children will have to look forward to, a Nation where we've become, like Mike Huckabee said, a Nation that can't feed itself, that can't fuel itself, or produce the weapons to fight for itself will be a Nation forever enslaved. Are we going to be economic slaves to a condition that we can correct? I think not. We have the courage. We can make that happen if we can find 60 patriots in the United States Senate to make sure the United States is ending our addiction to foreign oil.

Mr. BOCCIERI. You are forgiven this time. Let me thank my colleagues for joining me tonight on this important dialogue about the course of this country. Now is not the time to let up off the accelerator. Now is the time to put the gas down, put the pedal to the metal to make sure we do this, because this is about our national security, my friends. The CIA is saying it. The Department of Defense is saying it. Both Democrats and Republicans alike running for President said it last year, and a whole host of Presidential candidates and Presidential minds before that said that this is a matter of our national security. This is not an issue of partisan politics. It's about patriotism. This isn't an issue about Democrats or Republicans. It's about America and where will our course be in years to come. Forty-four percent of our oil comes from the Middle East where my friends right now are putting their life on the line for our country and for our national security and because of our economic interests of oil in that region. Let's bring them home. Let's become independent. Let's create jobs here in this country. Let's protect our own national security and move away from our dependence on foreign oil. Folks talk about the cost. What is the cost of doing nothing? What is the cost of doing nothing? We're going to outsource a trillion dollars of American taxpayer money, a trillion dollars, to enrich regions of the world that don't believe the same that we do when we can believe in Midwest innovation instead of relying on Middle East oil? This is the time that we can make the decision. This is the time to move away from the politics of the past and look towards the future. We can't allow detractors to use fear as a tool of leadership when we know, as it's often been said, that it is a tool of the status quo. We will be judged by action or inaction. I'm glad that we chose to act. Thank you for having me tonight.

Mr. BOCCIERI

Mr. BOCCIERI. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's an honor to be in this Chamber, in this body, to talk about an issue that is so important to our country. I'm so happy to be joined by my colleague Steve Driehaus from Cincinnati, a fellow Ohioan, and my good friend and neighbor in the Longworth Building, Tom Perriello from Virginia. Tonight we're going to have a very spirited dialogue about clean energy and about the American Clean Energy and Security Act that passed this Chamber and the necessity of enacting this legislation very soon as it pertains to our national security. With that, let me begin by suggesting this, my friends. In this Congress, we were elected to represent the people of Ohio and Virginia collectively here with my colleagues, but to represent the interests of the United States in much broader terms. And after having spent 15 years in the United States Air Force as a C-130 pilot flying all over the world, to 60 different nations, visiting places I never dreamed I would see, seeing people, meeting people I never dreamed I would meet and doing things that I never dreamed that I would do, it only takes one trip outside the borders of the United States to understand how good we have it here. And when you think about all the blessings that this country has been given in terms of the abundance of natural resources, in terms of the opportunity to write our own destiny, we are truly a blessed nation. And I say this because we find ourselves at a crossroads in our history as it pertains to energy. Now we have 3 percent of the world's population but we consume nearly 40 percent of the world's natural resources. The United States has a very big demand, whether it's electricity, whether it's our dependence on foreign oil, or whether it's our overreliance on other fossil fuels that make this country very dependent on international geopolitical forces. I've got to tell you, what specifically concerns me with respect to our energy policy is the fact that 60 percent of our oil comes from overseas. Sixty percent. And 40 percent comes from the Middle East, where we find our military engaged in two wars on two different fronts in a region that has an abundance of oil but a lack of democracy and a lack of attention to humanitarian interests and a democracy that works for the people. So while we become very dependent on overseas supply of oil, we find ourselves now at a crossroads. We were elected, and we're freshman Members here, it's our first term serving in this august body, but I will tell you this, that we will be judged by two measures. We will be judged by action or inaction, and now is the time to take action for our national security, to create jobs in this country that cannot be outsourced and to make sure that we move away from our dependence on foreign oil. It's in this spirit that I look for a robust conversation about how this protects our national security. I will yield to my colleague from Ohio.

Mr. BOCCIERI. It is up to the gentleman from Cincinnati if he would yield.

Mr. BOCCIERI. Mr. Speaker, I want to yield to the gentleman and my colleague from Cincinnati to finish his remarks.

Mr. BOCCIERI. Thank you for those comments. And there is very clearly misinformation out there. I have had a number of inquiries into my office, both here in Washington and back in the district in Ohio, that have clearly been misrepresented of what the bill actually stands for and what it actually means. And with that, I will yield to my friend and colleague and neighbor in the Longworth Building, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Perriello).

Mr. BOCCIERI. I appreciate the gentleman from Virginia's comments, and he is exactly right on. A good idea doesn't have to be a Democrat or Republican idea. It's an American idea. And while we may disagree about some of the approaches, let's look at and revisit some of the comments of some of the leading leaders who ran for the Presidency last year and talked about how climate change and our dependence on foreign oil is a matter of national security. Let's visit the Presidential candidate for the Republicans last year, John McCain, who I incidentally flew out of Baghdad, is a man of honor and integrity, and this is what he has to say: It's cap-and-trade. There will be incentives for people to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It's a free-market approach. Let me repeat that: it's a free-market approach. The Europeans are doing it. We did it in the case of acid rain. Look, if we do that, we will stimulate green technologies. This will be a profit-making business, and it won't cost the American taxpayer. It won't cost the American taxpayer. Joe Lieberman and I introduced a cap-and-trade proposal several years ago which would reduce greenhouse gases with a gradual reduction. We did the same thing with acid rain. This works. It works.

Mr. BOCCIERI. I will.

Mr. BOCCIERI. Let me just expound on the gentleman's remarks there. I believe that this truly is about our national security, and I'm going to go over some facts here in just a moment. But back to revisiting what some of our colleagues have said running for President. Mike Huckabee really summed it up best when he said, A nation that cannot feed itself, that cannot fuel itself or produce the weapons to fight for itself is a nation forever enslaved. And he further added, So it's critical that for our own interests economically and from a point on national security we commit to becoming energy independent, and we commit to doing it within a decade. Within a decade. We went to the Moon in less. We can do this in less than a decade. We have to take responsibility in our own house before we can expect others to do the same in theirs. It goes back to my basic concept of leadership. Leaders don't ask others to do what they are unwilling to do themselves. This gentleman was right on with his remarks. I yield to the gentleman from Virginia.

Mr. BOCCIERI. I cannot agree with my gentleman and neighbor as he so eloquently suggested that this is about the faith that we have in our own innovation, the faith that we have in our own country and our own people to come up with ideas that can make our country stronger in the long run. And let me revisit some of what our faith leaders have said. Billy Graham said that the growing possibility of destroying ourselves in the world with our own neglect and excess is tragic and very real. Pope Benedict said, The brutal consumption of creation begins where God is not. I think, therefore, that true and effective initiatives to prevent the waste and destruction of creation can start only where creation is considered as beginning with God. Particularly, attention must be paid to the fact that the poorest countries are likely to pay the heaviest price for ecological deterioration. Pat Robertson said, I have not been one who believed in global warming, but I tell you, they are making a convert out of me. It is getting hotter and the ice caps are melting and there is a buildup of carbon dioxide in the air. We really need to address the burning of fossil fuels because if we are contributing to the destruction of the planet, we need to do something about it. Dr. Rick Warren, author of ``The Purpose Driven Life'' said, We cannot be all that God wants us to be without caring about the Earth. Now, our faith leaders are telling us, our national security folks who are in charge and responsible for our national security are saying it, the Congress has spoken, that this is a matter of national security, creating jobs here at home, jobs that cannot be outsourced and moving away from our dependence on foreign oil. Let me touch on just a few points before I yield back to my friends. Eighty percent of the world's reserves of oil are in the hands of governments and their respective national oil companies. Sixteen of the world's 20 largest oil companies are state-owned. We import 60 percent of the world's oil. We know that we're going to, with the Senate version of this bill, we're expanding exploration and drilling right here in America in the Gulf of Mexico, knowing that that's not going to be enough to sustain our 20 million barrels that we consume every day. We only have 3 percent of the world's oil reserves, but we can consume 25 percent of the world's oil. It is very clear that we have to move away from our dependence on oil. One last point before I yield to my colleague from Ohio. The largest consumer of oil in this country, the largest consumer of oil in this country is not the American. It's the Department of Defense. The United States Department of Defense consumes more oil than some countries overseas. In fact, it consumes more oil than Greece in 1 year. So our Nation is dependent on 60 percent of that oil coming from overseas sources, from Venezuela, from Mexico, from Saudi Arabia in particular, which is one of our largest producers and suppliers of oil, and this makes our country and puts our country in a compromising position. I yield to the gentleman from Ohio.

Mr. BOCCIERI. I couldn't agree with the gentleman from Ohio more. I think that he speaks with passion and conviction about what this means and what stake we have in making certain that we move away from our dependence or foreign oil. I yield to the gentleman from Virginia.

Mr. BOCCIERI. I couldn't agree with you more, Congressman Perriello. Before I yield to my good friend from northeast Ohio, Congressman Ryan, who's joined us tonight, let me just revisit two more of these quotes from our colleagues who ran for President and suggested that American innovation, American entrepreneurship, and American ideas are stronger than our dependence on oil overseas. Mr. Giuliani, a fellow Italian, he said, We need to expand the use of hybrid vehicles, clean coal, carbon sequestration. We have more coal reserves in the United States than they have oil reserves in Saudi Arabia. This should be a major national project. This is a matter of our national security. We went on: Mitt Romney said, There are multiple reasons for us to say we want to be less dependent on foreign energy and to develop our own sources. That's the real key. Of course, additional sources of energy here, as well as more efficient use of energy. This will allow the world to have less oil being drawn out from the various sources it comes without dropping the prices to a high level. It will keep people, some of whom are unsavory characters, from having an influence on our foreign policy. Ron Paul, who we serve with here in this Chamber, said, True Conservatives and Libertarians have no right to pollute their neighbor's property. You have no right to pollute your neighbor's air, water, or anything, and this would all contribute to protection of all air and water. Mr. Gingrich said, The concept of reducing the amount of carbon emissions over the next 50 years is a totally sound concept. These are not Democrats saying this. These are Republicans who are standing with us tonight in spirit, I know, saying that this is about our national security, saying that this is about geopolitical balance, and this is about creating jobs here in our country. I yield to the gentleman from Ohio.

Mr. BOCCIERI. People are asking, What does this mean for the average consumer? What does this mean for the average Ohioan and Virginian? This is what it's going to mean: When you roll into a fuel station someday, you're going to have a choice between traditional gasoline, traditional oil. You're going to have a blended fuel that may be ethanol-based or cellulose-based. You may have an opportunity where you plug in your electric hybrid or where you drive by the gas station all together because you have a fuel cell that allows you to get 100 miles to the gallon. Now, how is that for American innovation? How is that for opportunity? How is that for standing up for the innovation, entrepreneurship, and for the longevity of American ideas and thinking? That's what this bill does, and that's what this idea is. It's of moving away from our foreign dependence and reliance on overseas oil to make our economy drive. Let me just say this: In my district, we are researching fuel cell technology. We are very close to having some sort of prototype ready to go. They're researching this with the Department of Defense at Stark State Technical College, Community College. We have the opportunity there to be leaders in Ohio. We also have the opportunity to do research at the Ohio State Agriculture Research and Development Center. That is in Wayne County, in my congressional district, that right now is using anaerobic digesters like you were talking about. Imagine this: I know Congressman Ryan--whose birthday it is today. Happy birthday.

Mr. BOCCIERI. You may be too young to remember. It was when I was standing in line with my father, waiting for oil in the 1970s. I remember seeing that movie Back to the Future. The professor comes in. He has a DeLorean, and he opens up the trash can and starts jamming in waste--garbage--into his DeLorean to fuel his engine. Now think about this: What they're doing at this research center is taking sewage sludge. They're taking manure from dairy farms, and they're adding 20 percent biomass--a busted up watermelon from the supermarket, cooking grease from the local restaurant. Just by adding that 20 percent biomass, they're increasing the BTUs by 50 percent of that compressed natural gas. They're actually selling it back to the grid. This German CEO who was doing this research, Schmack Industries, suggested this: He said, You Americans are doing in 2 years what it took Germany 20 years to do, and we have 3,800 of these anaerobic digesters that are actually producing energy--compressed natural gasses that light our cities. The city of Canton is getting ready to--or is thinking about building an incinerator for its sewage sludge. Could you imagine if they turned that into renewable energy and if they actually created compressed natural gas and sold it to the utility or if they heated some homes or if they turned on some lights in the city? This is the type of innovation that has driven America to be one of the great producers of wealth that we are.

Mr. BOCCIERI. Sure.

Mr. BOCCIERI. Let's address something that's important to all of our States--to both of our States that we're discussing here presently. It's the use of coal. We've heard a lot of talk from those, at least from the detractors of this bill who have now somehow fallen off their plateau of suggesting that this is about national security, who are suggesting that coal-intensive States are going to be disproportionately hurt. That is completely false. We have worked together to make sure that coal, which is the most abundant and cheapest source of energy that we have in this country, is going to be used for a long, long time. Right now in Ohio, we are investing in some very, very awesome opportunities for job creation. The company Babcock & Wilcox is researching right now using pure oxygen and pulverized coal and mixing it in these huge burners to make near zero emission burners. They capture this carbon, and then they inject it back into the wells, into the very wells from which we're drilling for oil, to push out those last remaining drops of oil. I have a chart here--and I'm not going to get into the technical parts of it--but those scientists who may be watching and listening to us tonight can refer to this because it is very important that we understand that we will continue to use coal. This is carbon capture sequestration. The bill provides $180 billion for this type of innovative research that is going to be the next generation of coal use. In the 1940s, when the United States of America bombed the Ploesti Romania oil fields, we essentially cut off the oil for Germany. What did they do? They quickly transitioned to a synthetic fuel, which is a derivative of coal. We're testing this right now at the Wright- Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. We're testing blended fuels on our military aircraft. We're testing the new fuels that are going to drive the innovation of tomorrow and that are going to make our country stronger. I yield to the gentleman from Virginia.

Mr. BOCCIERI. You are right. Mr. Speaker, I will remind the folks listening tonight that Teddy Roosevelt said that the welfare of each of us is dependent upon the welfare of all of us and that in a moment of decision, the worst thing that we can do is nothing. What is the cost of doing nothing? We're going to continue to be dependent on foreign oil. Maybe it rises from 60 percent to 80 percent. Maybe we don't create the jobs that we need to right here in our country that can't be outsourced, like a nuclear reactor. Congressman Ryan always talks about the 8,000 manufactured components that go into making a windmill. You know, these are the types of jobs and the types of innovation that makes our country stronger.