Energy Independence

Statement

Energy Independence

You've probably seen that famous photograph of planet earth taken from an Apollo spacecraft on a trip to the moon. The blue of the oceans and the whiteness of the clouds were vibrant against the blackness of space. We marvel at both the power and the fragility captured in that photo of our planet and the life it sustains.

A couple of years ago, I was very pleased to be appointed to a seat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Chairman John Dingell (D-MI) loves to occasionally point to a large framed blown-up version of that photograph of the earth that hangs on the wall in the committee anteroom and say, "That's the jurisdiction of this committee!"

It's true that the Energy and Commerce Committee is the starting point for most legislation dealing with national energy policy, healthcare, consumer affairs, telecommunications regulations, the environment, and also homeland security as it applies to all of these areas.

This year, at the direction of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the Congress is taking up the dual challenges of energy independence and global warming. This effort is long overdue, drastically needed, and vital to our national security, our economy, and our environment.

In July, an endurance swimmer braved the water at the North Pole, without a wetsuit, to prove this point. Granted, the Pole is not yet a tropical vacation destination, but this image demonstrates graphically that we must act now to slow, stop, and reverse the growth of greenhouse gas emissions.

This past spring, I held round-table discussions with Wisconsin experts on energy, the environment, and climate change in anticipation of the energy bill debate. Input from business and industry, UW-Madison researchers, consumer and environmental groups helped inform my deliberations on, and my contributions to, the energy bill. (more)

During these meetings I learned about the impact that our decisions in Washington will have on us back home. And I learned about how changes in the law can help Wisconsinites achieve greater energy efficiency.

I envisioned this bill as our opportunity to begin to prepare for a post-petroleum economy; and, while not perfect, the bill takes important and necessary first steps that move us in the right direction.

I am especially pleased to report that the energy efficiency provisions we've crafted, when fully implemented, will remove from the atmosphere carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to those emitted from all of the cars currently on the road!

Our energy independence bill includes numerous provisions to improve our nation's energy efficiency, with specific provisions on home appliances, lighting, and residential, commercial, and federal buildings. In addition, it sets in motion a process for implementing smart grid technology, which will enable us to tailor our use of electricity once we are informed about its costs and conditions.

In addition, the energy independence bill seeks to increase the availability of renewable fuels, and encourages the domestic development and production of plug-in hybrid vehicle technology.

In my own work on the bill, I was able to successfully add language to increase industrial and home energy efficiency standards, encourage advanced battery and plug-in hybrid programs, minimize exposure to mercury in energy efficient light bulbs, and study the adequacy of railroad transportation for domestically-produced renewable fuel. And it was especially gratifying to have these efforts supported by industry, environmental, and consumer groups.

As we move toward the fall and our consideration of a larger climate change bill, there remain a number of policy decisions still to be answered. For instance, how will we decide to improve fuel efficiency in automobiles; will we institute a renewable portfolio standard to increase the use of renewable energy sources; and what shape and form will a mandatory, economy-wide, market-based cap and trade program take?

Remember that photograph of the earth taken from an Apollo spacecraft returning from the moon? In 1961, President Kennedy stood before Congress and the nation and said, "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth."

Kennedy explained, "I believe we possess all the resources and talents necessary. But the facts of the matter are that we have never made the national decisions or marshaled the national resources required for such leadership. We have never specified long-range goals on an urgent time schedule, or managed our resources and our time so as to insure their fulfillment."
Today, in 2007, we urgently need an Apollo-scale energy project because conserving and creating energy and preserving our natural resources are vital to our future on earth.

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