With one witness declaring that “Maine will likely be the first state to experience a heating emergency,” Ranking Member Susan Collins and Chairman Joe Lieberman heard testimony recently in front of the Senate Homeland Security Committee on ways to reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil for the sake of national and economic security.
“Our nation is facing an energy crisis,” said Sen. Collins. “The sharp spikes in the price of oil are causing great harm to our economy, from the major industries that drive our nation forward to the small businesses that are the lifeblood of our communities. As I travel throughout Maine, I hear time and again of the hardship the skyrocketing cost of gasoline and home heating oil is causing families.”
Among those invited to testify at the invitation of Sen. Collins was University of Maine Professor Dr. Habib Dagher, and expert on off-shore wind and geothermal energy. He spoke of the potential for wind power to supply as much as 40 percent of the nation’s energy, calling the Gulf of Maine, the “Saudi Arabia of wind.” Having deep shore wind production, out-of-sight from land, provides an affordable source of renewable energy directly to the country’s population centers on each coast while supplying thousands of new jobs. In addition, it would diversify Maine’s electricity supply so that people could switch from using oil to heat homes to heat pumps. Dr. Dagher stated that with proper investment we are only five to seven years away from developing the proper technology.
Dr. Dagher testified, “Ten years ago, less than 5 percent of a Maine family’s budget went to energy. Today, close to 25 percent, a quarter of the Maine family’s budget goes to paying for energy. That is transportation, heating, and electrical power. In ten years, if we don’t make any changes, about half of the Maine family’s budget will go towards energy.”
“Dr. Dagher is someone with great vision,” said Sen. Collins. “He understands, perhaps better than anyone I have ever met, how to take the theoretical and make it practical. I invited Habib to testify because the Senate will benefit greatly from hearing the bold and innovative ideas he has about addressing our nation’s energy needs.”
Dr. Dagher’s testimony complimented that of T. Boone Pickens, founder and CEO of BP Capital Management, who recently released a plan to reduce the country’s dependence on foreign oil by an estimated 38 percent. Mr. Pickens’ plan involves producing energy from wind in the Midwest and increasing the use of natural gas for transportation allowing time for more alternative energy sources to be developed. The “Pickens Plan” is estimated to cost an amount equivalent to what the U.S. spends on foreign oil in one year. Dr. Dagher called for expanding the use of wind energy to the Pacific and Atlantic Coasts, and the Great Lakes Region.
“Solving the energy crisis requires the entrepreneurial spirit of the private sector, and understanding of the specific economic and environmental issues at stake, and a commitment to the research and development of new technologies. Some of the best ideas about what we need to do now and over the next five years are coming from people right here in Maine, such as Habib,” said Sen. Collins. “It also requires action by government. From establishing a timeline for energy security to undertaking critical investments to stimulate research in alternatives to expanding production and conservation tax credits, government has a critical role to play. Above all, we must follow through.”
With the goal of reducing America’s dependence on oil, Senator Collins devoted several aspects of her Ten-Point Energy Plan to renewable and alternative energy sources, including: increased federal funding for alternative energy projects, a national renewable electricity standard, investment in cellulosic ethanol and renewable fuels, and promoting tidal, geothermal, solar, and wind energy.
In addition to Dr. Dagher and T. Boone Pickens, today’s witnesses included: Dr. Gal Luft, Executive Director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security; and Geoffrey Anderson, President and CEO of Smart Growth America.