Senate Proceeding on May 15th, 2008 :: 7:49:14 to 7:57:40
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7:49:00 to 7:49:14( Edit History Discussion )

Kent Conrad: virtually no time. i think we can yield back all time on that amendment. ready to yield back? mr. gregg: let's yield back all time on kyl-conrad -- a senator: i think that senator -- mr. conrad: how much time

7:49:14 to 7:49:28( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: is left on o.c.s.? the presiding officer: senator vitter has three minutes. the majority has seven minutes. mr. conrad: i would be happy to yield seven minutes to the distinguished senator from florida.

7:49:14 to 7:57:40( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Bill Nelson

7:49:28 to 7:49:41( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: can we yield back time on a of the other amendments? nd mr. gregg: i would like to retain two minutes to respond on my trillion dollar -- stopping spending at $1 trillion. mr. conrad: i will retain two

7:49:41 to 7:49:56( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: minutes on that too. so we each retain two minutes on that amendment and we yield back all other time except for the seven minutes on o.c.s. mr. gregg: i ask unanimous consent that four minutes be equally

7:49:56 to 7:50:17( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: divided when we get to the kyl-conrad a.m.t. amendments. the presiding officer: without objection. the senator from florida. mr. nelson: mr. president, here we go again. the oil companies are trying to

7:50:17 to 7:50:40( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: have it exactly like they've had it in the past. they've developed an amendment that is very seductive by saying that you can have offshore drilling with the concurrence of the state if gasoline

7:50:40 to 7:51:05( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: reaches $5 a gallon. so what they haven't told you is if the price of gas goes up to $5 a gal on of which the oil companies are making money hand over fist, they're going to utilize that to perpetuate

7:51:05 to 7:51:27( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: the myth that they need to drill off the coast of a state like florida when, in fact, what they have not told you is that the oil companies already have under lease that has not been drilled 33 million acres

7:51:27 to 7:51:48( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: offshore. the oil companies also have another 31 million acres onshore that has not been drilled. and the myth that they perpetuate now using the fright of $5 gas is that in order -- we've got to have

7:51:48 to 7:52:10( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: more supply and therefore we've got to go offshore. this is the seductive red herring of this amendment offered by the senator whose state, louisiana, has a big oil industry that drills off of louisiana

7:52:10 to 7:52:28( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: where, in fact, there are deposits of oil. but when you get to a state like florida, several dry holes. the geology shows very little oil, plus we have the adverse interest. now, why do we have to keep

7:52:28 to 7:52:43( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: going through this drill over and over? it's because the oil companies are insatiable. do we not remember what we did just a year and a half ago where the oil interests wantedte to drill toward tampa,

7:52:43 to 7:52:56( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: florida, two million acres? we worked out a compromise. the compromise wasn't two million acres, the compromise was 8.3 million acres, but we kept it furtherer to the south away from the military training

7:52:56 to 7:53:12( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: and testing area where you can't put oil rigs on the surface of the water where we have our largest training and testing area in the world for our united states military. that's where we're training

7:53:12 to 7:53:26( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: the pilots for the f-22. that's where we train all of the pilots for the newly being developed joint striec fighter. that's -- stryke fighter. that's where we're testing some of the most sophisticated

7:53:26 to 7:53:49( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: weapons. that's where we have restricted airspace. as you're shooting that live ordnance in your testing and your research and development of weapons systems, you can't have oil rigs down there on the surface

7:53:49 to 7:54:14( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: of the gulf of mexico. and we etched that into law. but here we w go again. having gone through this and having the oil industry have 33 million acres that is already available for lease but has

7:54:14 to 7:54:33( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: not been drilled, they want to make an exception and are using the scare of this $4 gas maybe going to $5 gas in order to do that. now, it's just wrong and we ought to put a stop to it. but here's

7:54:33 to 7:54:47( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: the greatest wrong that it perpetuates. what it does is keeps us in the same old mindset where we stay married to oil. and the emphasis is drill, drill, drill to solve the problem as evidenced by $5 gas.

7:54:47 to 7:55:04( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: when, in fact, that's not going to solve our problem. what's going to solve our problem is using our technology to go to alternative fuels. what's going to solve our problem is to go to renewables.

7:55:04 to 7:55:21( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: what's going to solve our problem is going to be to have a new president of the united states that says that he is going to commit to make the united states independent of foreign oil of which we now imrt

7:55:21 to 7:55:41( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: 60% of our daily consumption of oil comes from places like nigeria and venezuela and the persian gulf. and so what we've got to do is to change the mindset of the old way of doing things which this

7:55:41 to 7:56:05( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: amendment, by the senator from louisiana is suggestive of. and that is to go to the alternative fuels. to go to a serious research and development program for a new engine on down the line. to encourage

7:56:05 to 7:56:27( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: the increase of miles per gallon. in japan they are driving cars that are 50 miles per gallon. in europe they're driving cars on a fleet average that are in the 40 miles per gallon. why can't the

7:56:27 to 7:56:48( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: united states if we had the political will, change our way of doing things as oil guzzlers through our consumption in our personal vehicles? we can if we have the political will. a senator: will the senator

7:56:48 to 7:57:07( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: yield? mr. nelson: i appreciate the senator from louisiana asking me to yield. but i've got a lot on my mind and the senator has already had his 15 minutes and so this senator's going to complete his thoughts.

7:57:07 to 7:57:25( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: so here we go again. the emphasis is drill, drill, drill. the presiding officer: the senator's time has expired. mr. nelson: the senator's time has expired already? well, mr. president, i yield the floor.

7:57:25 to 7:57:40( Edit History Discussion )

Bill Nelson: a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from louisiana has three minutes. mr. vitter: thank you, mr. president. if i could briefly respond on my own time, mr. president. and i

7:57:40 to 7:57:57( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: would invite a conversation or a colloquy with the distinguished senator from florida. i hope the distinguished senator noticed, realizes that in this proposal in order for any drilling offshore

7:57:40 to 7:59:12( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: David Vitter