WASHINGTON, DC - House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement tonight after passage of the New Direction for Energy Independence, National Security and Consumer Protection Act by a vote of 241 to 172:

“This historic, comprehensive energy legislation will strengthen our national, economic and environmental security – and its passage caps an incredibly productive first seven months for the new Democratic Majority in the House.

“This legislation takes our nation’s energy policy in a new direction, reducing our reliance on foreign oil by investing in home-grown bio-fuels, providing incentives for plug-in hybrid vehicles, promoting mass transit, reducing carbon dioxide, and bolstering research on renewable energy and global warming.

“The President himself has recognized that our nation, in his words, is ‘addicted’ to foreign oil, and this new Democratic Majority has taken a significant, critical step in breaking that addiction.  We must harness the unique American ingenuity that has made the United States the world leader in innovation and invention – and achieve real energy independence that results in a stronger economy, more jobs and healthier communities.  This legislation will help us do so, and I am pleased that it received bipartisan support.”

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