Jay Inslee: Washington's 1st Congressional District
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Inslee brings green vehicle to Capitol Hill
30 January 2007
U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) arranged for a plug-in hybrid concept car to come to Capitol Hill for members of Congress to preview.
Inslee, a congressional leader on climate-change issues and member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, hosted the display of a Chevrolet Volt from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. outside the Rayburn House Office Building so fellow lawmakers could see firsthand the next generation of green vehicles.
The General Motors vehicle made headlines earlier this month when it was unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It operates off an electric charge for short trips and then recharges its battery during long trips with gasoline or environmentally friendly biofuel.
Earlier in January, Inslee filed the first bill in the House that deals solely with plug-in hybrid vehicles called the Get Real Incentives to Drive (GRID) Plug-in Act, H.R. 589. The bill establishes a five-year, $500 million grant program for PHEV makers; a pilot project to identify the best way to integrate the vehicles into the power grid; a government test site to advance of battery technologies; a tax incentive for consumers who buy PHEV's; and, a 10 percent purchasing requirement for the federal government's fleet of vehicles.