North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. McNERNEY. I thank the chairman.

Mr. Chairman, it is well past time that Congress update our national energy policy with a framework that includes clean energy technologies, reduces fossil fuel consumption, boosts energy efficiency in residential, commercial, and Federal buildings, and provides the funding necessary to advance our workforce and technological innovation, but, unfortunately, H.R. 8 does not meet these goals.

I do want to thank Chairman Upton for working with me on several provisions that are intended to improve responses to physical and cyberattacks on the grid, that encourage the development and use of water and energy-efficient technology, that streamline hydropower permitting, and that generally improve the modernization of our electric grid.

Unfortunately, the funding was removed for the electric grid grant program and for carbon capture sequestration, a provision promoting the next generation energy workforce is gone, and language that weakens energy efficiency in buildings has not been fixed.

This is a big disappointment, Mr. Chairman, because throughout most of the process there was real bipartisan cooperation, but in the final stages, the majority fell into partisanship and changed the bill to something most Democrats can't support.

So it is with great disappointment that I oppose H.R. 8, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

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