Providing for Consideration of H.R. 6899, Comprehensive American Energy Security and Consumer Protection Act
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 6899, COMPREHENSIVE AMERICAN ENERGY SECURITY AND CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT -- (House of Representatives - September 16, 2008)
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Mr. WELCH of Vermont. Mr. Speaker, we have an opportunity here to decide to make policy instead of continuing to play politics.
I happen to be among those who believe that we cannot drill our way out of this energy crisis, yet I support this bill that contains significant offshore and domestic drilling, and I'll tell you why. This will offer a transition fund so that we can go from an energy-dependent economy on oil to an independent energy economy.
What this bill will do is marry the argument that has been made on the other side that we have to have supply to get from here to there--that's true, it's indisputable--and that developing our own domestic resources is a way to help us get there. And it marries that to establishing that the revenues that will be generated will be used for the benefit of the American people to achieve the goal of energy independence, which requires two things: It requires investment in research and development of alternative energies, and it requires investment in the implementation of alternative energy projects.
So what you have here is a recognition that we do need supply; that's true. That's been the argument of the Republican side. Valid point. But it also recognizes that we need a sustainable financial fund in order to implement research and development in the implementation of clean energy projects.
This bill also cracks down on speculation, makes oil available, which will have an impact on the price of oil. It does a whole array of things that most of us are in agreement need to be done on wind, solar, biomass.
So, Mr. President, we can't drill our way out, but we can't get to where we need to be, a post oil-dependent economy, unless we have a sustainable energy fund that will allow us to do that. We managed to do this in Vermont when we had a fierce debate over nuclear power, and in the storage of nuclear waste, assessed a fee that went into a clean energy fund. It is now allowing schools to literally cut in half their cost of heating their schools. This is a very wise decision and allows us to work together to get something done.
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