{"database": "openregs", "table": "congressional_record", "rows": [["CREC-2006-12-08-pt1-PgE2138-2", "2006-12-08", 109, 2, null, null, "SAVING ENERGY THROUGH RECYCLING", "HOUSE", "EXTENSIONS", "ALLOTHER", "E2138", "E2138", "[{\"name\": \"Joe Barton\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}]", null, "152 Cong. Rec. E2138", "Congressional Record, Volume 152 Issue 135 (Friday, December 8, 2006)\n\n[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 135 (Friday, December 8, 2006)]\n[Extensions of Remarks]\n[Page E2138]\nFrom the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]\n\n                    SAVING ENERGY THROUGH RECYCLING\n\n                                 ______\n\n                            HON. JOE BARTON\n\n                                of texas\n\n                    in the house of representatives\n\n                      Wednesday, December 6, 2006\n\n  Mr. BARTON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call attention to\nthe energy security issues we face and to highlight the important role\nrenewable energy plays in producing reliable electricity and curbing\ndemand for power transmission equipment. Given this importance, we must\ncontinue to support initiatives to improve transmission, increase\ngeneration nationally and encourage renewable energy and conservation.\n  Effective renewable energy policy must include the significant\ninvested energy available through greater recycling. Manufacturing\nrecycled products requires, on average, 17 times less energy than\nmanufacturing the same products from virgin materials. In addition to\nthe traditionally understood benefits of recycling as a conservation\nand waste management tool, recycling is becoming increasingly\nunderstood as an energy source available to combat the Nation's growing\nenergy crisis.\n  For example, recycling aluminum cans saves 95 percent of the energy\nrequired to make the same amount of aluminum from its virgin source.\nThe amount of lost energy from throwing away aluminum and steel cans,\nplastic PET and glass containers, newsprint and corrugated packaging\nwas equivalent to the annual output of 15 medium sized coal power\nplants. Increasing the recycling rate of these commodities by 10\npercent would save enough energy annually to heat 74,350 million\nAmerican homes, provide the required electricity for 2.5 million\nAmericans, and save about $771 million in avoid costs for barrels of\ncrude oil. As a result, recycling should be an integral component of\nour Nation's energy efficiency strategy.\n  The Federal Energy Policy Act of 2005 acknowledged the high invested\nenergy content of recyclables. Section 1353 mandated the U.S. Secretary\nof the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of Energy, to\nconduct a study to determine and quantify the energy savings achieved\nthrough the recycling of glass, paper, plastic, steel, aluminum, and\nelectronic devices, and to identify tax incentives that would encourage\nrecycling of such materials. As chairman of the House Energy and\nCommerce Committee, I was deeply involved in the creation of this\nlegislation, which I am proud to say was achieved with strong\nbipartisan participation and support.\n  The Environmental Protection Agency has shown that recycling saves\nbillions in energy costs and hundreds of millions of tons of raw\nmaterials. American companies that engage in the use of renewable\nresources and recyclable materials are already contributing countless\nbillions of dollars per year to our Nation's energy grid. These\ncompanies are engaging in practices that are environmentally friendly\nand energy conservative.\n  By harvesting the invested energy in recycling, this country saves\ntens of millions of tons of ore, coal, trees and billions of dollars in\nenergy costs. Recycling programs offer a means to conserve natural\nresources, ease the burden on the grid, reduce excessive municipal\nwaste, protect the environment, create jobs, and save energy.\n  Like the energy drawn from wind or from water behind a dam,\nrecyclable materials contain a vast amount of energy that is available\nto be harvested. Recyclables possess invested energy, and in order to\nremain competitive, we must focus on capturing the energy that is\nalready invested in recycling. Through recognition of these policy\nobjectives, we will create the most efficient market-based solutions to\nensure a safe, abundant, and stable energy supply to our citizens for\nyears to come.\n\n                          ____________________"]], "columns": ["granule_id", "date", "congress", "session", "volume", "issue", "title", "chamber", "granule_class", "sub_granule_class", "page_start", "page_end", "speakers", "bills", "citation", "full_text"], "primary_keys": ["granule_id"], "primary_key_values": ["CREC-2006-12-08-pt1-PgE2138-2"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.4078681599348783, "source": "Federal Register API & Regulations.gov API", "source_url": "https://www.federalregister.gov/developers/api/v1", "license": "Public Domain (U.S. Government data)", "license_url": "https://www.regulations.gov/faq"}