Comprehensive American Energy Security and Consumer Protection Act

Floor Speech

COMPREHENSIVE AMERICAN ENERGY SECURITY AND CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT -- (House of Representatives - September 16, 2008)

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Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, as the House considers tax legislation to promote the development and deployment of alternative and renewable energy technologies, I rise today in support of the proposed plug-in electric drive motor vehicle tax credit and, in particular, making the tax credit even more robust and immediate by including in the credit road-certified two-wheel vehicles and low-speed neighborhood electric vehicles. I support the underlying bill, but hope as it progresses that this clean energy incentive may also be included.

I know that House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rangel and the House Leadership are committed to renewing existing energy tax provisions and enacting new incentives for environmentally-friendly, domestic energy production. And I believe that the tax credit for plug-in electric drive vehicles is a critical component of that commitment. This tax credit will encourage the ongoing efforts to develop and bring to the marketplace the technology that will be necessary for these vehicles to become a common occurrence on our roads and highways. Tailpipe emissions from the combustion of gasoline and diesel fuel are by far the largest contributors to climate change and the air quality problems that exist in many regions of our country. This tax credit will go directly at addressing these issues by displacing foreign oil with electricity that is domestically produced with--it is my hope--a significant and growing renewable component.

The plug-in electric drive vehicle tax credit is so vital to our alternative and renewable energy priorities that it should begin working as soon as it is enacted, but it can only do so by expanding the credit to include both road-certified two-wheel vehicles and low-speed neighborhood electric vehicles, which are now in retail production. These vehicles are specifically designed to address the short-haul transportation needs of urban and suburban communities. Because the first mile of a trip creates the most tailpipe emissions, these vehicles can play an important and significant role in mitigating the unique contribution of urban and suburban transportation to our air quality and climate change problems.

If enacted, the plug-in electric drive motor vehicle tax credit will be an important element of our policy to encourage the development and deployment of alternatives to the consumption of foreign oil. As the manufacturers of electric drive two-wheel and low-speed vehicles already are demonstrating, this policy also has the added benefit of creating quality jobs here in the U.S.

While the technology for plug-in electric cars is still being developed, road-certified two-wheel vehicles and low-speed neighborhood electric vehicles can begin reducing our reliance on foreign oil today, and including these vehicles in the tax credit will help develop a consumer market for them, just as the credit will help create a market for plug-in electric automobiles and trucks that are expected to come on-line in a few years.

Again, I thank the Speaker and Chairman Rangel for their important work on the critical issue of ensuring our Nation's energy security.

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