A concurrent resolution expressing the sense of Congress that it is the goal of the United States that, not later than January 1, 2025, the agricultural, forestry, and working land of the United States should provide from renewable resources not less than 25 percent of the total energy consumed in the United States and continue to produce safe, abundant, and affordable food, feed, and fiber.

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a concurrent resolution which expresses the goal of the United States to provide 25 percent of the Nation's energy needs from renewable resources by 2025. I am pleased to be joined in this effort by Senators Salazar, Lugar, Harkin, DeWine and Obama.

The goal of this 25 by 25 resolution is quite simple: to replace 25 percent of our total energy needs with renewable resources like wind, hydropower, solar, geothermal, biomass and biofuels by 2025. This is a bold goal, but given our current energy situation in the U.S., it is a necessary goal.

In the past few years, we have seen the price of crude oil skyrocket from $25 a barrel to nearly $75 a barrel. This has caused prices at the pump to escalate beyond $3 a gallon. Natural gas, used for electricity generation and industrial uses, has hovered above $6 per million BTU's, while hitting over $15 following the devastating hurricanes along the gulf coast.

The impact of these increased prices is being felt around the country by working families, farmers, businesses and industries. The increased cost for energy at the pump, in home heating and for industrial uses has the potential to jeopardize our economic security and vitality.

And, because we are dependent upon foreign countries for over 60 percent of our crude oil, our dependence is a threat to our national security. President Bush heightened the awareness of the problem by stating in his 2006 State of the Union Address that we are addicted to foreign oil. He highlighted as his goal to reduce our dependence on oil from the Middle East by 75 percent by 2025.

Our effort with this concurrent resolution is to signal to America's farmers, ranchers and forestry industry, that we believe they have the ability and resources to generate 25 percent of our energy needs. An that it is in our economic and national security interest to do so.

There are many inherent virtues in producing our own domestic energy from renewable resources. It is good for our environment. It is good for our national and economic security. It will provide an economic boost for our rural economies. And perhaps most importantly, it will ensure a stable, secure, domestic supply of affordable energy.

Already, our farmers and ranchers are working hard to use their resources to produce electricity from wind, biomass and other agricultural wastes. In addition, corn, soybeans and other crops are being used to produce transportation fuels like ethanol and biodiesel. It is evident that rural America has the drive to achieve this goal.

While this concurrent resolution states our renewable energy goal, it does not prescribe a way to achieve the goal. Rather, it recognizes the benefit of implementing supportive policies and incentives to stimulate the development and use of renewable energy. It also identifies the benefits of technological improvements to the cost and market appeal of renewable energy. The supporters of this goal commit to support sensible policies and proper incentives to work toward the goal.

I am hopeful that my colleagues will recognize the importance and timeliness of this effort, and will consider supporting us in this goal to produce 25 percent of our energy needs from renewable resources by 2025.

Mr. President, I rise today to join Senator Grassley and other distinguished Senate colleagues in cosponsoring S. Con. Res. 97. Under this concurrent resolution, the United States sets a goal to provide at least 25 percent of the total energy consumed in the United States from renewable resources by January 1, 2025.

I have said many times and very firmly believe that our energy future will be grown on our farms, ranches, and forests.

In my State of Montana, our farmers are already producing food and fiber for our country. Before long, they will be producing food, fiber, and fuel as agriculture will become part of the energy business. It is important we have the technology available so we do not have to choose between producing food or fuel. In Montana and elsewhere, technology is already being developed to produce cellulosic ethanol. Unlike traditional corn-based ethanol, cellulosic ethanol will use materials such as wheat straw and barley straw. These materials, once discarded as waste, can now be turned into energy.

On August 8, 2005, this Congress passed one of the most comprehensive energy research, development, and conservation bills this country has seen in decades: the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Now, just 1 year later, the initial outcomes are impressive. Twenty-seven new ethanol plants have broken ground. Over 400 E85 pumps have been installed. New wind power production has spurred over $3 billion in economic activity and generated 2,000 megawatts of new usable wind power online. These figures are staggering but pale in comparison to the accomplishments that are possible in the next 20 years.

We have set an ambitious goal. I am pleased this resolution does not include mandates for how to achieve this energy vision. The combination of American ingenuity and widespread public support for this initiative will move the free market toward achieving this attainable goal.