madam chairman , if ever there was a time when this country needed a smart , forward-looking energy strategy , this is it .  energy prices throughout the country are close to record highs .  consumers in my state are struggling with soaring gasoline costs .  the price of gasoline in michigan today is 36 cents a gallon higher than it was just 1 year ago .  steep increases in the price of natural gas have resulted in skyrocketing increases in consumers ' home heating bills over the past few winters .  so what is the response of the house of representatives ?  the leadership of the house has brought a bill to the floor that will do little or nothing to reign in energy prices .  this is virtually the same bill that the senate rejected 2 years ago .  according to the bush administration 's own energy information administration , the policies contained in this legislation will have a negligible effect on energy production , consumption , imports and prices .  instead of bringing us a comprehensive energy bill that brings down gas prices and encourages greater u.s. energy independence , the bill before the house is little more than a grab-bag of special interest giveaways .  for example , the tax title of this legislation contains just over $ 8 billion worth of tax incentives .  only about 6 percent of these go to energy efficiency , renewable energy or conservation .  nearly all of the $ 8 billion goes to the oil , gas and nuclear industries , as well as electric utilities .  with oil and gas prices -- to say nothing of energy industry profits -- near record levels , why are we extending these additional subsidies ?  just the other day , president bush said that `` with $ 55 oil we do n't need incentives to oil and gas companies to explore .  there are plenty of incentives. '' yet this bill is chock-full of these unneeded incentives .  there 's $ 3.3 billion in oil and gas production tax incentives , plus a number of `` royalty holiday '' provisions for energy extraction on public lands .  it 's easy to see how this legislation is good for the bottom lines of oil and gas companies , but it 's consumers that need our help today .  i know that the proponents of this legislation have been saying that opening up the arctic wildlife refuge to oil drilling will help bring down gas prices .  this simply is not the case .  we have no idea how much oil lies beneath the refuge .  the new york times reported in february that the `` major oil companies are largely uninterested in drilling in the refuge , skeptical about the potential there .  `` even the plan 's most optimistic backers agree that any oil from the refuge would meet only a tiny fraction of america 's needs. '' the crusade to drill in the refuge is a distraction .  even if there is extractable oil there , it would take nearly a decade to bring the energy to market .  this country badly needs a balanced energy policy .  we ca n't drill our way to energy security .  we need a balance between energy production , on the one hand , and greater use of renewable sources of energy and conservation on the other .  the bill before the house today does n't even pretend to seek balance , and i urge my colleagues to reject it .  