Providing for Consideration of Senate Amendments to H.R. 6, Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007

PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF SENATE AMENDMENTS TO H.R. 6, ENERGY INDEPENDENCE AND SECURITY ACT OF 2007 -- (House of Representatives - December 06, 2007)

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Ms. CASTOR. I thank my colleague from the Rules Committee, and I rise in support of the Energy Independence and Security Act and this rule.

Today, we break the stranglehold that Big Oil and the special interests have had over Washington, D.C. and over our country's energy policy.

We're going to hear many maneuvers today and protestations, delay, resistance, points of order because this is a fundamental shift in the Nation's energy policy.

The contrast between the policies of the past and our forward-looking bill could not be more clear. Remember just 7 years ago when the administration's Energy Task Force met behind closed doors? It consisted of oil executives, and the administration fought to keep everything secret. Renewable sources of energy were not a priority, the Earth's climate change was not a priority, and the recommendations involved more drilling, more mining, more of the same, which led to record gas prices for our families, and record profits for oil companies, and disastrous national security consequences.

In contrast, our ground-breaking effort today sets our country on a path towards energy independence, particularly from the Middle East and the most volatile parts of this world.

Better gas mileage for automobiles is the cornerstone of our bill. That alone will save families from $700 to $1,000 per year at the pump, and that is great news for our neighbors back home.

What has been missing is the political leadership and the political will to make this happen in America. So today we will cast aside the politics of the past and for the first time in decades set the right priorities for America. This bill repeals the subsidies to the big oil companies and instead invests in renewable energy and biofuels technologies.

And to the folks back home in Florida, whom I have the privilege to represent, we're going to demonstrate here today that there is no need to put our tourism economy and beautiful beaches at risk to more oil drilling offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. Instead, we're going to rely on American ingenuity and resourcefulness.

The status quo in Washington is not acceptable anymore, and we will chart a fundamental new direction on energy policy.

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