Speeches
Pelosi: ‘Today We Declare a New Direction in Our Energy Policy – One For Our Future Generations’
08/04/2007
Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke this morning
on the House floor in support of her bill, H.R. 3221, New Direction for Energy
Independence, National Security, and Consumer Protection Act. Below are her remarks as prepared:
“My colleagues, today we are faced with a momentous decision
on energy and global warming.
“Will we turn toward the future, for the sake of our
children and our planet? Or will we
remain mired in the disputes and regional differences that have so often
prevented the Congress from adopting new, innovative approaches to our energy
needs?
“With this bill, the ‘New Direction for Energy Independence,
National Security, and Consumer Protection Act,’ Congress can indeed take our
nation in a New Direction.
“Energy independence is a national security issue, an
environmental and health issue, an economic issue, and a moral issue.
“As it says in the Bible, ‘To minister to the needs of God’s
creation is an act of worship, to ignore those needs is to dishonor the God who
made us.’
“This is the moment when we can make a decision in favor of
the future, while ministering to the needs of God’s creation.
“Ten committees have been hard at work for months to develop
this legislation, and I salute the leadership of our Chairmen. These committees have held extensive hearings
and markups. The Appropriations
Committee has also highlighted sustainable energy and global warming in their
bills.
“As a result, almost every Member of Congress has had the
opportunity to participate in this process.
With broad input, and a commitment to the future, Congress has created
this bill with four principles in mind.
We must strengthen our national security by reducing our dependence on
foreign oil; lower energy costs with greater efficiency, cleaner energy, and
smarter technology; create new and good-paying American jobs; and reduce global
warming.
“And we must do it all in a fiscally sound way.
“To fund these key investments in our future, we have
demanded greater accountability to the taxpayer from oil and gas companies that
drill on federal land.
“This bill makes the largest investment in homegrown
biofuels in American history. We know
that
“This bill will send our energy dollars to middle America
and coast to coast, not the
“This bill promotes cleaner and more efficient means of
transportation, including alternative fuel buses and ferries and hybrid
locomotives for hauling goods around the country.
“With the energy efficiency provisions in this legislation,
we will lower costs for American consumers and businesses in key areas, such as
electricity, home heating, and cooling – saving Americans more than $300
billion.
“With these energy efficiency measures, we will also reduce
carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 10.4 billion tons through 2030, more
than the annual emissions of all the cars on the road in
“This bill is essential to developing renewable energy
sources in
“As we address energy independence and global warming with
innovation and market-based solutions, we will grow our economy and create good
paying jobs – including ‘green-collar’ jobs.
“The consequences of global warming will be as local as our
neighborhoods, and as broad as our entire planet. So too must our solutions be both local and
global.
“This bill lays out specific steps the Administration should
take for the
“Here at home, the federal government should lead by
example. This bill requires the federal
government to become carbon-neutral by the year 2050, and lays out a number of
specific measures that will assist our government to achieve that goal.
“States and local communities need to know how to plan for
the global warming that is already underway.
This bill reorganizes the federal climate change research, so every
locality has information it needs to prepare.
“The legislation we debate today is just the ambitious first
phase in what will be a series of revolutionary actions for energy
independence. But it is a very serious
first step that honors God’s creation – our planet, and creates a better world
for our children.
“With confidence in American ingenuity and faith in our future, today we can declare a New Direction in our energy policy – one for our future generations. I urge my colleagues to do just that by supporting this bill.”