Providing for Consideration of H.R. 3221, New Direction for Energy Independence, National Security, and Consumer Protection Act, and for ...
Floor Speech
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 3221, NEW DIRECTION FOR ENERGY INDEPENDENCE, NATIONAL SECURITY, AND CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT, AND FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 2776, RENEWABLE ENERGY AND ENERGY CONSERVATION TAX ACT OF 2007 -- (House of Representatives - August 04, 2007)
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Mr. WELCH of Vermont. Mr. Speaker, there are two points I would like to make, one about the rule and one about the process.
I served 13 years in the Vermont State Senate, a small body, 30 members, sometimes in the minority, sometimes in the majority; and we had fierce fights about issues of enormous public concern, tax policy, environmental policy. In all of the time that I served in that State Senate, winning fights, but losing as many as I won, I never, ever saw the other side leave on an appropriations vote. Never. When you lose, you get up and you fight another day. That is what we learned. That is what all of us have learned.
There is a use of process here that has an effect of avoiding discussing substantive issues that are really of vital concern to the people of this country and the people that we represent. None of us can certify that the position we take at any given moment is guaranteed to be the right one. We have to debate that, we have to listen to the other side. But we don't stop listening when it comes to our final decision, the ultimate responsibility that we have been given by the people who have elected us to stand in this well and to vote ``yes'' or ``no'' and to accept accountability for the ``yes'' or ``no'' vote that we take.
I do not understand, Mr. Speaker, walking out on a vote, most importantly, one involving appropriations for rural America. I don't understand the excessive use of motions to adjourn when it has no purpose, no purpose whatsoever other than to bring down the respect that the American people should have in this institution. I don't understand that. Maybe in time I will.
This bill brought forth by this rule is going the allow America to have a new debate on energy. It is that simple. The old approach on energy has been oil and fossil fuels. It has had a place and will have a place, to be sure. But the question is, are we going to continue with the public policy of this country, with subsidies as we have for mature industries like oil and nuclear, which in the 2005 legislation received $15 billion in taxpayer subsidies. That is real money from real Americans. Yet, as that happens, global warming expands, the price of gasoline increases. It is a dead-end policy, Mr. Speaker.
And the question that is going to be raised in this legislation for the decision of each and every one of us is whether we are going to turn a page on the old energy policy to a new one that is going to allow efficiency to matter. Using less, not more, saves money. The efficiency provisions in this bill will save tax ratepayers $300 billion. Whether we are going to use the power of tax incentives, a tax incentive budget to unleash the entrepreneurial skills, the engineering skills of people across this country in local communities, to harness wind, solar, renewable sources of energy, whether we are going to unleash the opportunity to create 3 million new jobs.
Let me say this: for all the good that is done by some of the energy policies that we have had, let's make the acknowledgment that there are many good things out there, every time a consumer in a local area, my town of Hartland, pays the light bill, most of the time that dollar that I pay gets sent hundreds, if not thousands, of miles away to a generator. And what we are trying to do in our State, what we are trying to do in many other States around the country is to have an energy policy that is going to allow consumers to spend their money locally so that the repair person that was mentioned that fixes the air conditioners, more of those people are going to have jobs. Every dollar that we keep in our local economy is strengthening our local economy.
Energy efficiency, renewable energy is about creating jobs, not just improving and cleaning out the environment. It is about independence and strengthening of local communities, not just shipping local money to faraway corporations.
Mr. Speaker, if we needed any wake-up call about why we have to turn a page and move in a new direction, it is in this morning's newspaper report about Toyota. Let me just read one paragraph:
``Booming sales of fuel efficient cars helped lift Toyota to its biggest quarterly profit ever, and kept the maker of Prius Hybrid on pace to pass General Motors as the world's number one automaker.''
That is not good news for us. What is good news for us is that we accept the challenge that is there, not run from it.
Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on this rule and support this underlying legislation.
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