Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007

Floor Speech

ENERGY INDEPENDENCE AND SECURITY ACT OF 2007 -- (Senate - December 13, 2007)

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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, the Senate is considering one of the most important pieces of legislation that I have worked on in my legislative career--the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.

I thank all the Senators who helped to craft this important bill.

This energy legislation will move America in a new direction--it will make us more independent as a Nation, strengthen our economy and protect our environment.

I am proud to support this legislation which will take meaningful steps to use our energy resources more wisely.

Without this legislation we will fail to protect our country, and our children, from the growing threats of global warming, which is a clear and present danger to the national security and the economy of the United States.

The bill we are considering today begins to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

For many years I have advocated for an increase in CAFE standards and have offered amendments to previous energy bills to achieve this important goal. I am pleased that for the first time in over 2 decades we will be voting on legislation that raises the fuel economy of our cars and trucks. After 22 years of allowing vehicles to average 27.5 miles per gallon, cars and trucks will need to average 35 miles per gallon by 2020.

The provision we are considering today is historic in another way, because both the auto industry and the auto workers union, as well as the environmental community, have endorsed this key provision in the bill and understand the importance of making and driving more fuel efficient vehicles here in the U.S.

This increase in the CAFE standards will save 18 billion gallons of gasoline per year in 2020, and it will help us reduce the greenhouse gases that cause global warming. New CAFE standards will help us avoid 206 million metric tons of greenhouse gases annually.

This is the equivalent of removing 30 million cars from the road in the year 2020.

This legislation will significantly lower our oil consumption and will decrease our dependence on foreign oil. This is one of the most effective ways we can reduce national gasoline consumption, extend our oil supply and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

To help reduce our dependence on imported oil, and on oil consumption, this bill strengthens the renewable fuels standard. It sets clear benchmarks for higher levels of production of biofuels made from corn as well as other feedstocks, including soybean oil, switchgrass, and other sources of energy that will be developed in the future.

With this bill, we will shift some of our energy reliance from the oilfields of the Middle East to the corn fields of the Midwest.

The bill will ratchet up the schedule for the use of renewable fuels in our cars and trucks from the level of 7.5 billion gallons by 2012, as passed in the 2005 Energy Bill, to 15 billion gallons by 2015 and 36 billion gallons by 2022.

That represents a major advance in our commitment to renewable, home grown fuels that reduce emissions, mitigate global warming, and improve farmer income.

This is a strong market signal to ethanol, biodiesel, and other renewable energy investors that the Federal Government supports fuels that are more environmentally friendly and help to reduce our dependence on oil.

Unfortunately, the package we are considering today does not include a renewable electricity standard--RES.

It does, however, include tax incentives to support the development of renewable energy. It is my hope that in future energy legislation, we will be able to pass an RES to ensure that electric utility companies to use more wind, biomass, geothermal and solar to generate electricity.

Another important component of this bill are new standards for energy efficiency.

The bill will dramatically reduce energy consumption in Federal buildings and improve energy efficiency in appliances. Improving efficiency is the best way to use less energy and reduce emissions. And Americans will save billions of dollars on energy bills.

Reducing energy use by the Federal Government is not only good for the environment; it is good for the bottom line--our budget.

I am pleased to support this important and long over-due bill. This bill makes a substantial down payment on our commitment to slow global warming. We will begin to reduce oil consumption and energy use and promote research and development and help to promote America's creative ideas.

We want innovation to be the driver of our economy, not oil. We want more American jobs, a stronger economy and a cleaner environment.

We want a more secure future for America.

The bill that we are considering will go a long way toward achieving this goal.

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