Hello, this is Congressman Lee Terry and I am privileged to represent the Second Congressional District in the great state of Nebraska.

This Labor Day weekend, we pay tribute to the hard working men and women across our great country.  Through their dedication and perseverance, they have made this country strong.
 
In Nebraska, we have some of the hardest working people in the country. We have the beloved Cornhusker football team and we’re 2nd in the nation for ethanol production.
 
Ethanol is just one piece of the puzzle to make our country energy independent. We must have drilling on the Arctic Shelf and offshore, and get access to the shale oil in Colorado and Wyoming. Put more nuclear power on the electricity grid. We also need to expand the development of alternative resources of energy like hydrogen, wind and solar and coal-to-liquid along with new technologies like cellulosic ethanol. Nebraska now has a pilot research facility for the manufacture of cellulosic ethanol, which is a way to make energy from any plant. Several other states are on track to build pilot cellulosic facilities over the next 2 years.  And finally, we must continue to foster conservation efforts.
 
No one part of this plan is the silver bullet - what we need is a balanced "all of the above" approach. This is the only way we can both lower gas prices and make America energy independent in the future.
 
To that end, House Republicans have put forward a piece of legislation called the American Energy Act.
 
This bill will put "all of the above" energy strategy to work, and in addition to creating new American-made energy, it will create countless new jobs for American workers.
 
Unfortunately, despite our approach being overwhelmingly supported by the American people, the American Energy Act has yet to receive a vote on the House floor. Democrat leaders in Washington instead decided to take a five-week vacation, prompting me and more than 130 of my colleagues to stand on the floor of the House - without lights, or cameras, or microphones – and talk to interested visitors and tourists about meaningful energy solutions. I can tell you with great confidence that never before has anything like this has ever happened in our history, and we will continue this protest until struggling families get a real pro-American energy, pro-production vote.
 
This Labor Day, American deserve our respect and our appreciation. This is Congressman Lee Terry.  Thank you for listening.

To listen to the radio address click on the following link:

http://gop.gov/web/guest/weekly_radio_address