Creating Long-Term Energy Alternatives for the Nation Act of 2007

Floor Speech

CREATING LONG-TERM ENERGY ALTERNATIVES FOR THE NATION ACT OF 2007 -- (Senate - June 21, 2007)

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Montana and the Senator from New Mexico for all of the work they have done.

I think the argument we are hearing today is we should have trust in the oil companies and that ExxonMobil and their friends are staying up nights and days worrying about high gas prices in the best interests of the American people. If anyone believes that, I think we have some good bridges to sell you right now.

The truth is the oil companies are ripping off the American people. This moment in American history is a time that our country needs to radically change the way it does energy, and the Finance Committee, in a bipartisan way, and the Energy Committee, in a bipartisan way, are making some very clear statements.

What they are saying is that global warming is a huge problem for this Nation today, and if we do not get a handle on it, that problem will only intensify in years to come.

What we must begin to do, and what this legislation is making clear, is that we have to break our dependency on fossil fuel, we have to move to energy efficiency, we have to move toward sustainable energy, and in that process not only can we substantially lower greenhouse gas emissions but we can also create millions of good-paying jobs for the American people.

As the chairman of the Energy Committee made clear a moment ago, the oil companies, year after year, are making recordbreaking profits. I for one do not stay up nights worrying about ExxonMobil, when a few years ago they were able to provide a $400 million retirement package to their former CEO.

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