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.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I would first like to thank the gentleman from Minnesota, the chairman of the committee, for his leadership in bringing this resolution before the Congress again, and the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Mr. Holden, for his involvement in this as well.

The resolution, also known as 25x'25, recognizes the importance of agriculture in meeting our energy needs and sets a noble goal for American agriculture: to produce 25 percent of the total energy consumed in the United States from the renewable resources of our agriculture, forestry and working lands by the year 2025.

We have made significant progress in developing a robust industry using agricultural crops as well as animal waste to produce ethanol and biodiesel. In 2006 alone, the renewable fuels industry added more than 1.05 billion gallons of new ethanol to the marketplace. It is projected that without any new technological breakthroughs, the industry already has the potential to produce more than 11 billion gallons per year within the next decade.

While the domestic production of energy has been exciting, there are still many renewable energy sources yet to be explored and developed. There are a wide variety of agricultural products and by-products that can be converted to clean, renewable energy sources. In fact, there are sources of renewable energy in every one of our 50 States, including wind, solar, hydropower and biomass. The development of cellulosic technology has enormous potential to bolster the renewable fuel market inside the corn belt and well beyond.

I am particularly excited about the opportunity to use forest biomass as a component of our renewable energy supply. Forest biomass is plentiful and available in many States. Almost two-thirds of the Commonwealth of Virginia is forested, as is much of the southeastern United States. In fact, today we have roughly the same amount of forest land as we had 100 years ago. Trees are an abundant resource and are available for conversion into both wood products and biofuels year- round.

Every year we grow almost twice as much forest biomass as we harvest.

This wood and wood waste has the potential to produce enough electricity to power 43 million households, or enough ethanol to increase our domestic supply by almost 10-fold. As we find more ways to use forest biomass in our energy supply, we also have the opportunity to improve forest health, removing materials that fuel wildfires and insect and disease infestations.

Renewable energy development can create valuable markets for many of the waste materials which are currently a burden on America's farmers, such as animal waste, harvest by-products and damaged crops. Farmers continue to face steep environmental regulations in handling animal waste, and converting this waste into renewable fuels is a win-win for farmers and the environment. In fact, I would like to see the word ``waste'' taken out of American agriculture since almost everything produced on our farms can be used or reused for some other purpose.

The current tax credits and renewable fuels standard, along with the phaseout of MTBE, has helped fuel investment in new ethanol and biodiesel plants, and created more markets for agriculture products. It is obvious that current policies have successfully established a thriving, renewable fuels market. We should now focus on policy that will develop commercial cellulosic ethanol and allow new markets to drive production.

New proposed initiatives are extremely ambitious and can only be achieved with contributions from all areas of the agriculture sector, including grains, plants, trees and wood waste, vegetable oil, and animal fat and waste.

The 2002 farm bill included the first-ever energy title with programs to help renewable fuel producers purchase and expand operations and purchase feedstocks and also established programs to make grants and loans to farmers, ranchers and small businesses to purchase renewable energy systems and make energy efficiency improvements on farming operations.

The energy title of the House's 2007 farm bill builds on the 2002 bill by providing nearly $3 billion to promote the commercial production of cellulosic ethanol. These initiatives will help farmers and forest owners by creating new markets and income opportunities to keep them on the land and keep their land working. At the same time, greater focus on cellulosic feedstocks can reduce our reliance on corn for renewable fuels.

Increased development of renewable energy opens new markets for our Nation's producer; provides consumers with a safe, sustainable, environmentally friendly and renewable source of energy; and decreases our Nation's dependency on foreign oil.

25x'25 is a vision we can all get behind, as 600 groups already have, including agriculture and forestry groups, as well as business and environmental organizations. Over 20 of our Nation's Governors, along with 72 bipartisan cosponsors in the House, have recognized that this is a goal, though challenging, that is worth striving for.

I encourage my colleagues to join us in recognizing the important role American agriculture plays in domestic energy production and work with us to turn the goal of 25x'25 into a reality.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers at this time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, today the House of Representatives is considering an important piece of legislation. House Concurrent Resolution 25 expresses Congress's support for a goal that is an essential component in our attempt to achieve energy independence. That goal is to produce 25 percent of our Nation's energy needs from renewable resources by the year 2025. I support the goal enumerated in this concurrent resolution because it is not a blanket endorsement of any particular renewable. Instead, it is inclusive and accommodates all forms of renewable energy including all forms of biofuel and wind, solar, geothermal, and hydro energy.

In addition, House Concurrent Resolution 25 does not proclaim renewable resources are the sole solution to this United States energy crisis. Rather, it sets an ambitious, yet achievable goal for the renewable resources sector, while recognizing that in the next 20 years renewable resources will not be the only method necessary to meet our energy needs. The flexible, multifaceted nature of this concurrent resolution is the model for which this Nation should build its future energy policy.

The United States must look to alternative energy sources to meet our Nation's energy needs. In recent years, oil imports have soared. We now import approximately 60 percent of the oil used in this country. Some of these imports come from countries that have populations hostile to the United States and its citizens. The consequence of our reliance on imports of oil from volatile regions is that a portion of the money we spend to supply our energy needs may actually go to fund terrorist groups that wish to do us harm. Supplanting foreign oil imports with home-grown renewable

energy not only keeps economic activity in the United States, but is a vital component of national security.

As I previously stated, the 25 x '25 vision is an inclusive goal that strives to be responsible in its mission. The resolution does not endorse actions that will skew the marketplace. It calls for solutions that are ``practical'' and ``cost effective.'' The goal is not endorsed to the detriment of existing demands on our renewable resources. House Concurrent Resolution 25 states that in attaining the 25 percent benchmark, the Nation should ``continue to produce safe, abundant, and affordable food, feed, and fiber.''

The resolution also advocates for an implementation strategy that is ``practical'' and ``cost effective.'' Congress should heed this advice. It must seek to accomplish the goal of House Concurrent Resolution 25, but it should not adopt policies that are enacted at the expense of one renewable resource over another or at the expense of preexisting domestic energy sources. We must find comprehensive solutions to our energy needs.

In the United States today we are seeing great progress in expanding the scope of renewable energy. One recent development that I believe will help us accomplish the goal of 25 x '25 is the conception of the cellulosic ethanol industry, an ethanol industry that utilizes non- grain based plant products to produce ethanol. In my home State of Kansas, it was recently announced that construction of one of the Nation's first industrial-sized cellulosic ethanol plants will begin in Hugoton, KS. I am proud that this monumental step in the biofuel industry is occurring in Kansas and I hope that this technology can continue to develop over time.

Although development of the cellulosic ethanol industry is a great achievement, we must realize that ethanol is not the only component needed to accomplish the 25 x '25 vision. Often overlooked are the contributions of wind and solar energy. To accomplish the goal of 25 x '25, it will take the contributions of all the Nation's citizens. Wind and solar projects may not only need to be welcomed into our communities but in some instances literally into our backyards. Emerging technologies are making small-scale wind and solar power a reality.

Also, lost in the debate is the need to conserve energy. The 25 x '25 goal is more easily achieved if we control our accelerated quest for more energy. If we can find an economical and technological means of increasing fuel economy in the cars and trucks we manufacture, it will be easier for biofuels like ethanol and biodiesel to capture a greater share of an existing market.

Finally, while I am an arduous supporter of renewable energy, we must not overlook traditional domestically produced energy sources. Congress must not punish existing and still feasible forms of domestic energy in its attempt to grow the renewable market. Although not directly implicated by the 25 x '25 goal, efficient development of renewable energy markets cannot proceed without existing forms of energy. For example, nitrogen fertilizer is a key component producing the corn from which ethanol is made. Most nitrogen fertilizer utilized in the United States is produced using natural gas.

The vision embodied by House Concurrent Resolution 25 is a goal that Congress should support and the American people should work to achieve. Utilizing renewable resources in a responsible fashion is good for the environment, good for U.S. workers, and helps move the Nation toward energy independence.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 25) 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.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 25, and urge its adoption by the House. H. Con. Res. 25 embodies the vision of farmers and ranchers who have been leaders in renewable energy and land conservation activities, and recognizes that forestry and agriculture will play a leading role in our country's transitions to energy independence. The 25x'25 Resolution sets a national energy independence goal that by the year 2025, 25 percent of the total energy consumed in the United States should come from homegrown, renewable sources.

This resolution has received strong bipartisan support, was passed out of the House Agriculture Committee under my good friend, Mr. Goodlatte's leadership last year, and again in May under the new Congress. The 25x'25 Resolution has been carefully crafted to set national renewable energy production targets, while allowing farmers, ranchers, entrepreneurs and industry the flexibility needed to reach these important goals.

Madam Speaker, the new face of energy security and rural development is in the form of a biofuels plant, a gasifier, a windmill, a methane digester or any other technology that will reduce dependence on foreign energy sources. In times of high energy prices, I can think of no one better to supply the United States with a renewable source of energy than the same American farmers and ranchers who have provided the United States and the world with an abundance of safe food and fiber.

Expanding the production and the use of renewable energy is an important priority, not just for agriculture, but for the entire country in our pursuit of energy independence. The 25x'25 Coalition has grown over the past several years, and now includes endorsements from more than 590 business, conservation, agriculture and forestry organizations. As renewable energy use continues to expand, new innovations, including the promising growth of cellulosic ethanol, will not only provide for our energy needs; they will also produce environmental and conservation benefits.

I think the future of energy production from agriculture and forestry is the most exciting thing that has happened in rural America in my lifetime. The 25x'25 Resolution states our commitment to support the development of renewable energy sources. I believe we can not only meet but exceed the goal of 25 percent by the year 2025.

But every journey starts with a first step, and this resolution is a very important first step that we can take in achieving this energy independence.

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their support and again urge the support of the House for the passage of this resolution.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Holden), the chairman of the Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research Subcommittee.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kagen), a new member of our committee who has been a leader on this issue as well as many others.

Madam Speaker, I am now pleased to yield such time as she may consume to the gentlelady from South Dakota (Ms. Herseth Sandlin) who has been a leader on renewable energy in her State and in the country for a long time.

Madam Speaker, I just want to again thank my good friend Mr. Goodlatte for his leadership on this issue and the rest of the members of our committee who have worked very hard. We've produced a farm bill that is going to do our part in getting this country off of energy independence.

I also want to thank our leadership, especially Speaker Pelosi for her leadership on this issue.

As I said, we have a tremendous opportunity in rural America and agriculture with this whole effort to get energy independent in this country, and this resolution will help us by establishing that goal.

In Minnesota, where I'm proud to be from, we have led the way. I was just at a grand opening on Friday of a new plant that's turning turkey manure into electricity, and we have had mandates in Minnesota in ethanol and biodiesel, electricity, and it works.

We've had a tremendous economic development that's come about because of the renewable energy industry that we've developed in Minnesota. So we're proud on the Ag Committee of our work, and we urge our colleagues to join us in supporting H. Con. Res. 25.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Minnesota for yielding.

I rise today in strong support of House Concurrent Resolution 25, commonly referred to by my constituents, and it sounds like the constituents of many others, as 25x'25. I'm an original cosponsor of this resolution, and I commend Chairman Peterson and Ranking Member Goodlatte for their superb leadership on advancing this important resolution, on the overall issue of advancing renewable energy in American agriculture, and for their efforts in bringing this legislation to the floor today.

This resolution is as bold as it is straightforward. It simply states the United States expects our Nation's agricultural, forestry and working land to provide from renewable resources and sustainable resources not less than 25 percent of total U.S. energy consumption by 2025, while continuing to produce the world's safest, most abundant, most affordable food and feed. This goal is both exciting and achievable, and rural America stands ready to assume the challenge. Today's resolution compels us as a Nation to consider, to devise, and to implement a strategy for realizing this critical goal.

In recent years, we've taken important incremental steps in support of renewable energy. The most significant and positive example of this commitment was the passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which contained the first-ever renewable fuel standard, long advocated by Chairman Peterson and many others in this Chamber and in the Senate, a national mandate for the usage of renewable energy; and it has been a resounding success.

In 2004, we produced less than 3.5 billion gallons of ethanol in the United States. By the end of this calendar year, we'll have the capacity to produce more than 7 billion gallons of clean, renewable, domestically grown ethanol in this country.

This forward-looking and innovative policy has enabled the U.S. ethanol industry to more than double its production capacity in only 3 years; and the benefits to the economy, to consumers and to the environment have been tremendous; and as the ranking member noted, with the advancements in cellulosic ethanol, every region of the country will soon benefit as so many States have already done.

According to a recent study by LECG, a global expert services firm, the combination of spending for annual operations, ethanol transportation and capital spending for new plants under construction added $41.9 billion of gross output to the American economy in 2006 alone, over $1 billion of that in my home State of South Dakota. Even more important, much of this economic benefit has been realized by small communities in rural areas that have faced considerable economic challenges in recent decades.

Moreover, oil imports are the single largest component of our Nation's expanding trade deficit. The production of nearly 5 billion gallons of ethanol in 2006 means that last year the U.S. imported 206 million fewer barrels of oil, valued at more than $11 billion, than would have been the case without ethanol.

Finally, the environmental benefits of using renewable fuels abound. The use of 10 percent ethanol blends reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 12 to 19 percent compared with conventional gasoline. Ethanol reduces tailpipe carbon monoxide emissions by as much as 30 percent, and tailpipe fine particulate matter emissions by as much as 50 percent. In 2004 alone, ethanol use in the U.S. reduced CO2- equivalent greenhouse gas emissions by more than 7 million tons, equal to removing the annual emissions of more than 1 million cars from the road.

That's why this resolution and this entire debate are so important. Congress is currently considering new energy policy legislation, providing us an opportunity to build on the policies of 2 years ago. In the coming weeks, I'm hopeful that we'll finalize this energy bill and send it to the President, but we must take this opportunity to be bold.

The final bill should certainly contain initiatives to promote energy conservation, but it must also require that we increase our domestic production of renewable energy, both in the electricity sector and in the transportation sector.

The success of our initial renewable energy mandate indicates the wisdom of that policy and demonstrates the need to be even bolder, even more forward looking and even more committed to achieving energy independence in this country.

This resolution today clearly outlines an appropriately aggressive goal for our country over the next 18 years and recognizes the role of American agriculture, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to making the aspirations a reality.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Con. Res. 25, 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. I am proud to join over 70 of my colleagues in cosponsoring this important legislation. I would like to thank my distinguished colleague Congressman Peterson for introducing this bill, as well for his leadership on this issue as the Chairman of the Agriculture Committee.

Madam Speaker, the issue of energy is not only a critical economic issue, it is an urgent national security issue which has reached crisis proportions. With gasoline prices at record levels, the American people are suffering for our dependence on foreign oil.

In addition to being from the energy capital of the world, for the past 12 years I have been the Chair of the Energy Braintrust of the Congressional Black Caucus. During this time, I have hosted a variety of energy braintrusts designed to bring in all of the relevant players ranging from environmentalists to producers of energy from a variety of sectors including coal, electric, natural gas, nuclear, oil, and alternative energy sources as well as energy producers from West Africa. My energy braintrusts were designed to be a call of action to all of the sectors who comprise the American and international energy industry, to the African American community, and to the nation as a whole.

Energy is the lifeblood of every economy, especially ours. Producing more of it leads to more good jobs, cheaper goods, lower fuel prices, and greater economic and national security. Bringing together thoughtful yet disparate voices to engage each other on the issue of energy independence has resulted in the beginning of a transformative dialectic which can ultimately result in reforming our energy industry to the extent that we as a nation achieve energy security and energy independence.

This Congress has demonstrated its commitment to taking our Nation in a new direction, toward energy security and away from dependence on foreign oil. Today, we are considering legislation, known as the ``25 by '25 proposal,'' that expresses the sense of Congress that the goal of the U.S. is that America's farms, forests, and ranches provide 25% of the total energy consumed in America from renewable resources by 2025, while continuing to produce safe, abundant, and affordable food, feed, and fiber.

Madam Speaker, we live in a nation of extraordinary resources. As world oil prices continue to soar, now reaching a record $86 per barrel, it is vital that harness our vast resources here at home. This legislation lays out

an ambitious goal, one which will require innovation and new thinking about national priorities. However, I believe that the goal of producing 25% of America's energy from renewable resources is well worth aiming for.

Renewable energy can be harnessed in every one of America's 50 States. It can come from resources including wind, solar, hydropower, and biofuels, and it is currently the fastest growing energy sector. In particular, ethanol introduces the possibility that we can produce 25% of our projected gasoline use in 2025 from farm and forest resources, including many waste materials.

Both the House and the Senate have taken an important first step toward achieving this critical goal by passing comprehensive and bipartisan energy security measures. These initiatives have included critical proposals aimed at reducing our dependence on foreign oil; lowering energy costs through greater efficiency, cleaner energy, and smarter technology; creating new American jobs; and reducing global warming.

Madam Speaker, the legislation we are considering today has the support of a broad range of farm organizations, along with leaders from business, labor, conservation, environmental, and religious groups. It sets an ambitious but achievable goal, and will make important strides toward achieving energy independence. I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation.