OFFICE OF THE MAJORITY LEADER

TRANSCRIPT

Statement on the Energy Independence and Security Act
December 6, 2007

I THANK MY DISTINGUISHED FRIEND, THE DEAN OF THE HOUSE, JOHN DINGELL OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN FOR YIELDING. I ALSO THANK HIM FOR HIS EXTRAORDINARY LEADERSHIP FOR OVER HALF A CENTURY. HIS FATHER, AN EXTENDED PERIOD BEFORE THAT A DISTINGUISHED CAREER OF SERVICE TO THIS COUNTRY AND FOCUS ON THE STRENGTH AND GROWTH OF THIS COUNTRY. ON THE HEALTH OF OUR PEOPLE AND OF THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR WORKERS. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE: THE GENTLEMAN WILL SUSPEND. CAN I ASK THE GENTLEMAN IN THE CORNER TO PLEASE CEASE CONVERSATION. MR. HOYER: JOHN DING SL A GIANT WITH WHOM WE SERVE -- JOHN DINGELL IS A GIANT WITH WHOM WE SERVE. JOHN DINGELL IS A GIANT OF A LEADER IN THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES. MR. SPEAKER, TOMORROW WE WILL REMEMBER ONE OF THE MOST SOLEMN OCCASIONS IN OUR NATION'S HISTORY. THE 66TH ANNIVERSARY OF A DATE WHICH WILL LIVE IN FEIGNMY. THE DAY IN WHICH OUR NATION WAS ATTACKED BY AN ENEMY WE NOW COUNT AS AN ALLY. LET US HOPE AND I BELIEVE THAT MANY YEARS FROM NOW, THIS DAY, DECEMBER 6, 2007, WILL BE REMEMBERED BY FUTURE GENERATIONS AS THE DATE UPON WHICH THE NEW DIRECTION 110TH CONGRESS TOOK AN HISTORIC STEP IN MOVING OUR NATION TOWARD REAL ENERGY INDEPENDENCE. AND CASTING OFF THE BONDS DIVIDE OF DEPENDENCE THAT THREATENS AMERICA'S NATIONAL, ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY. THE BIPARTISAN COMPROMISE LEGISLATION BEFORE US, THE ENERGY INDEPENDENCE AND SECURITY ACT, IS NOTHING LESS, MR. SPEAKER, THAN OUR GENERATION'S DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE FROM FOREIGN SOURCES OF PETROLEUM. IN PARTICULAR, I WANT TO THANK SPEAKER PELOSI, CHAIRMAN DINGELL, CHAIRMAN RANGEL, CHAIRMAN GORDON AND SO MANY OTHER CHAIRS OF COMMITTEES FOR THE EXTRAORDINARY WORK AND EFFORT THAT HAS MADE THIS DAY POSSIBLE WHICH THEY PUT FORWARD. I AM PLEASED THAT THIS LEGISLATION INCORPORATED SOME SOME OF THE IDEAS IN THE PROGRESS ACT LEGISLATION THAT I HAVE WORKED ON WITH CHAIRMAN DINGELL AND MANY OF OUR OTHER COMMITTEE CHAIRS. THIS LEGISLATION, OF COURSE, LIKE ALL LEGISLATION, IS NOT PERFECT. HOWEVER, WHEN WE PASS THIS BILL, WE WILL BE VOTING TO STRENGTHEN OUR NATIONAL SECURITY, LOWER ENERGY COSTS, GROW OUR ECONOMY, AND CREATE NEW JOBS. AND AS WELL BEGIN TO REDUCE GLOBAL WARMING. AMONG OTHER THINGS, THIS LEGISLATION TAKES GROUND BREAKING STEPS, MR. SPEAKER, TO INCREASE THE EFFICIENCY OF OUR VEHICLES, RAISING FUEL ECONOMY STANDARDS TO 35 MILES A GALLON BY 2020 FOR NEW CARS AND TRUCKS, THE FIRST INCREASE IN FUEL ECONOMY STANDARDS SINCE 1975. THIS IMPORTANT STEP WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE LEADERSHIP OF SPEAKER PELOSI AND THE LEADERSHIP OF JOHN DINGELL. I THANK THEM BOTH FOR THEIR EFFORTS. THIS PROVISION ALONE WILL SAVE AMERICAN FAMILIES AN ESTIMATED $700 TO $1,000 PER YEAR AT THE PUMP. AND REDUCE OIL CON SUMPINGS BY $1.1 MILLION GALLONS PER DAY IN 2020. ONE HALF, THIS SINGLE STEP WILL REDUCE BY ONE HALF OF WHAT WE CURRENTLY IMPORT FROM THE PERSIAN GULF. THIS LEGISLATION ALSO MAKES AN HISTORIC COMMITMENT TO AMERICAN-GROWN BIOFUELS. INCLUDING INCENTIVES TO BOOST THE PRODUCTION OF BIOFUELS AND THE NUMBER OF FLEX FUEL AND OTHER ALTERNATIVE VEHICLES. AND ESTABLISHING A TAX CREDIT FOR PLUG-IN HYBRID VEHICLES. IN ADDITION, MR. SPEAKER, IT REQUIRES THAT 15% OF OUR ELECTRICITY COME FROM RENEWABLE SOURCES. STRENGTHENS ENERGY EFFICIENCY FOR A WIDE RANGE OF PRODUCTS. APPLIANCES, LIGHTING AND BUILDINGS TO REDUCE ENERGY COSTS TO CONSUMERS. AND REPEALS TAX BREAKS FOR OIL COMPANIES AND INVEST THAT MONEY IN CLEAN, RENEWABLE ENERGY IN AMERICAN TECHNOLOGIES. THE OIL COMPANIES, OF COURSE, ARE MAKING EXTRAORDINARY PROFITS. TO GIVE THEM INCENTIVE TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE US WITH THE ENERGY THAT WE NEED. BUT THEY DO NOT NEED ADDITIONAL SUBSIDIES FROM THIS CONGRESS. IT IS TELLING THAT THIS LEGISLATION IS SUPPORTED BY A BROAD COALITION OF ENVIRONMENTAL, BUSINESS, LEAB -- LABOR, AND FARM GROUPS AS WELL AS STATE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS. FOR EXAMPLE, MY FRIEND AND OUR FORMER COLLEAGUE, PRESIDENT AND C.E.O. OF THE ALLIANCE OF AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURES STATED AND I QUOTE, WE BELIEVE THIS TOUGH NATIONAL FUEL ECONOMY BILL WILL BE GOOD FOR BOTH CONSUMERS AND ENERGY SECURITY. I WANT TO THANK CONGRESSMAN MCKURTY FOR HIS WORK ON THIS BILL AND I WANT TO THANK JOHN DINGELL, AGAIN, WITHOUT WHOM THIS COMPROMISE COULD NOT HAVE BEEN REACHED. PAUL SAID AND QUOTE, IF IT BECOMES LAW, THIS DEAL WILL MARK THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP TOWARD IMPROVING U.S. OIL SECURITY IN A GENERATION. MR. SPEAKER, OUR NATIONAL CHARACTER WAS CHALLENGED BY AN UNPROVOKED ATTACK AT PEARL HARBOR 66 YEARS AGO. WE ROSE TO THE OCCASION THEN AND THROUGH OUR CITIZEN'S WILL, INTELLIGENCE AND INGENUITY, WE PREVAIL AND -- PREVAILED AND WERE STRENGTHENED. TODAY WE FACE A DAUNTING BUT STILL CHALLENGE. A CHALLENGE THAT MAKES US CONFRONT AND CONQUER OUR NATION'S ADDICTION TO PETROLEUM. THIS LEGISLATION WILL HELP TO DO SO. I URGE MY COLLEAGUES ON BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE, NOT FOR PARTISAN OBJECTIVES OR PARTISAN REASONS, BUT FOR THE INDEPENDENCE OF OUR NATION, FOR THE NATIONAL SECURITY OF OUR PEOPLE, FOR THE ECONOMY OF OUR WORKERS AND FOR THE ENVIRONMENT OF OUR CHILDREN. I URGE MY COLLEAGUES TO VOTE FOR THIS VERY HISTORIC AND IMPORTANT BILL. VOTE TO CAST THE CHANGE THAT HOLDS US BACK TODAY, WHICH THREATENS OUR NATIONAL, ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY. VOTE, MY COLLEAGUES, TO PUT AMERICA ON A PATH TO ACHIEVE ENERGY INDEPENDENCE. BEFORE I CLOSE, MR. SPEAKER, LET ME ONCE AGAIN SAY, NO ONE IN THIS BODY WITH WHOM I HAVE EVER SERVED HAS FOCUSED ON AN ISSUE SO TENACIOUSLY, SO EFFECTIVELY, SO IN HER JETICALLY AS HAS THE SPEAKER OF THIS HOUSE -- ENERGETICALLY AS HAS THE SPEAKER OF HAD THOUSAND -- OF THIS HOUSE. I URGE MY COLLEAGUES, STEP WITH HISTORY FOR TOMORROW AND OUR CHILDREN. VOTE FOR THIS BILL. I YIELD BACK THE BALANCE OF MY TIME.