Expanding Access to Sustainable Energy Act of 2019

Floor Speech

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Ms. BONAMICI. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act, which includes my Water Power Research and Development Act.

Oceans cover more than 70 percent of the surface of our planet. Waves, currents, and tides can be used as a plentiful, renewable resource to power our homes, buildings, and communities. According to the Department of Energy, there is enough kinetic energy in waves and tides along the U.S. coastline to meet a significant portion of our Nation's power needs.

As we transition to a 100 percent clean energy economy, we have the opportunity to capture the power of the ocean to help mitigate the climate crisis. Oregon is at the forefront of marine energy, thanks to the leadership of Oregon State University, the Pacific Marine Energy Center, and pioneering businesses like Vigor.

Last year, I visited the Ocean Energy device, built by workers at Vigor, before it was deployed off the shores of Hawaii for a pilot. It was not until I was standing in front of this enormous device that I grasped the scale of this resource and what we can gain from it.

Marine energy has tremendous potential as one of the last untapped renewable energy sources, and Federal investment can help unlock it. My bipartisan Water Power Research and Development Act would reauthorize funding for research, development, demonstration, and commercialization of marine energy within the Department of Energy's Water Power Technologies Office. This funding supports the leading research and development efforts at Pacific Marine Energy Center and will help their efforts to establish a wave energy test facility off the coast of Oregon.

As a member of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, I am pleased that this package includes many provisions from our bold, comprehensive, science-based Climate Crisis Action Plan.

I thank Chairwoman Johnson, Congressman Young, and Congressman Deutch for their support.

I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan energy package.

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