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U.S. Rep. Green addresses energy, health care concerns at meeting
By JOSH HARDWICK
The price of gas may be falling, but energy costs are still a hot button issue with many residents, some of whom spoke out at a town hall meeting with U.S. Rep. Gene Green Aug. 20.
Speaking from the Lee College Administration Building in Baytown, Green said he is using his political influence to push for a comprehensive energy plan that will highlight the need for conservation of current oil and gas resources and encourage alternative energy solutions.
In doing so, Green hopes the country will be able to cut back on domestic oil imports, which he said have climbed drastically in the past 30 years.
“In the ‘70s when we did our first embargo we imported 30 percent of our oil. Today it’s at 60 percent and going to 70 unless we send a message to the world that we will produce domestically,” he said.
However, Green admitted to some substantial obstacles facing the pursuit of alternative energy sources such as nuclear energy, wind energy and ethanol.
Green spoke of the expansion of nuclear facilities in Bay City and parts of South Texas, but said that a quagmire of federal regulations stemming from fears of atomic power are preventing any significant progress for the nation.
“After Three-Mile Island and Chernobyl the liability issue was such a concern that people just didn’t file for expansion,” he said.
Baytown resident Tom Houchins, a retired contractor, said that he believes nuclear energy to be one of the most promising solutions to the nation’s energy crisis.
“Today it’s the safest, cleanest form of energy we have. Look at the total energy we use; we import the same amount of oil as we burn coal to make electricity with,” he said.
Green also said that although the government has taken a renewed interest in wind power, it shouldn’t be viewed as a solution in itself.
He explained that Denmark, one of the most advanced countries in the world in terms of harnessing wind energy, still only depends on windmills for about 20 percent of its total energy production.
Retired oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens, a wind energy supporter, states on his website (www.pickensplan.com) that the United States could produce 20 percent of its electricity from wind power, and that North Dakota alone has the potential to provide power for more than a quarter of the country.
Green said that although he supports Pickens’ plans for harvesting the winds of West Texas, he believes it will take more than what he called an, “intermittent” source of power to make a dent in the nation’s oil imports.
“Another problem is getting the electricity from the windmills to the cities. We’ll need every form of alternative energy we have and we’ll still need oil,” he said.
Ed Singleton, who worked for Exxon for nearly 40 years, expressed disappointment with what he called a series of poor choices made by the government with regards to energy production.
“This problem didn’t develop overnight, it’s been coming on for 30 years,” he said. “And instead of blaming themselves [Congress] brings in the CEOs of all the major oil companies and points the finger at them.”
Green also addressed concerns with the nation’s approach to health care and the declining coverage of employer-based health insurance.
Health care in the United States is unique, he said, in that it has some of the greatest treatment and research facilities in the world and yet many average health issues go untreated.
Green said that the government must come up with a way to account for some 47 million uninsured residents in the United States.
“We have some great facilities, but we’re not treating the average health care issue. Probably the most inefficient way to handle healthcare is to have that many people show up in the emergency room,” he said.
Citing nearby Travis County, and its 20 federally-sponsored health clinics, Green said he would like to see an initiative to expand the program across the nation.
Harris County is currently home to 10 such health clinics and – although not free – such facilities offer uninsured residents a more affordable alternative for immediate health care.
“If you have a sinus infection you can go there instead of showing up in ER,” he said.
Speaking from the Lee College Administration Building in Baytown, Green said he is using his political influence to push for a comprehensive energy plan that will highlight the need for conservation of current oil and gas resources and encourage alternative energy solutions.
In doing so, Green hopes the country will be able to cut back on domestic oil imports, which he said have climbed drastically in the past 30 years.
“In the ‘70s when we did our first embargo we imported 30 percent of our oil. Today it’s at 60 percent and going to 70 unless we send a message to the world that we will produce domestically,” he said.
However, Green admitted to some substantial obstacles facing the pursuit of alternative energy sources such as nuclear energy, wind energy and ethanol.
Green spoke of the expansion of nuclear facilities in Bay City and parts of South Texas, but said that a quagmire of federal regulations stemming from fears of atomic power are preventing any significant progress for the nation.
“After Three-Mile Island and Chernobyl the liability issue was such a concern that people just didn’t file for expansion,” he said.
Baytown resident Tom Houchins, a retired contractor, said that he believes nuclear energy to be one of the most promising solutions to the nation’s energy crisis.
“Today it’s the safest, cleanest form of energy we have. Look at the total energy we use; we import the same amount of oil as we burn coal to make electricity with,” he said.
Green also said that although the government has taken a renewed interest in wind power, it shouldn’t be viewed as a solution in itself.
He explained that Denmark, one of the most advanced countries in the world in terms of harnessing wind energy, still only depends on windmills for about 20 percent of its total energy production.
Retired oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens, a wind energy supporter, states on his website (www.pickensplan.com) that the United States could produce 20 percent of its electricity from wind power, and that North Dakota alone has the potential to provide power for more than a quarter of the country.
Green said that although he supports Pickens’ plans for harvesting the winds of West Texas, he believes it will take more than what he called an, “intermittent” source of power to make a dent in the nation’s oil imports.
“Another problem is getting the electricity from the windmills to the cities. We’ll need every form of alternative energy we have and we’ll still need oil,” he said.
Ed Singleton, who worked for Exxon for nearly 40 years, expressed disappointment with what he called a series of poor choices made by the government with regards to energy production.
“This problem didn’t develop overnight, it’s been coming on for 30 years,” he said. “And instead of blaming themselves [Congress] brings in the CEOs of all the major oil companies and points the finger at them.”
Green also addressed concerns with the nation’s approach to health care and the declining coverage of employer-based health insurance.
Health care in the United States is unique, he said, in that it has some of the greatest treatment and research facilities in the world and yet many average health issues go untreated.
Green said that the government must come up with a way to account for some 47 million uninsured residents in the United States.
“We have some great facilities, but we’re not treating the average health care issue. Probably the most inefficient way to handle healthcare is to have that many people show up in the emergency room,” he said.
Citing nearby Travis County, and its 20 federally-sponsored health clinics, Green said he would like to see an initiative to expand the program across the nation.
Harris County is currently home to 10 such health clinics and – although not free – such facilities offer uninsured residents a more affordable alternative for immediate health care.
“If you have a sinus infection you can go there instead of showing up in ER,” he said.
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