American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009

Floor Speech

AMERICAN CLEAN ENERGY AND SECURITY ACT OF 2009 -- (House of Representatives - June 26, 2009)

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Mr. HIMES. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Manager's Amendment to H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act.

According to the Department of Energy the building sector is responsible for 39 percent of total U.S. CO2 emissions. At long last, and due in part to the improvements contained in this amendment, Congress is acting to decrease the negative effect buildings have on our environment. Over the past year, members of the Financial Services Committee have met with a wide array of housing advocates, nonprofits and agency leaders to craft legislation that improves the energy efficiency of housing while creating sustainable and affordable communities for our citizens.

The result of this painstaking work is a bill known as the Green Resources for Energy Efficient Neighborhoods, or GREEN, Act, led by my esteemed colleague from Colorado Mr. PERLMUTTER and currently contained within the Manager's Amendment to H.R. 2454. Through a broad array of public and private incentives, it seeks to encourage energy efficiency and develop renewable energy sources for housing and commercial buildings in order to achieve the changes in the housing sector that will help build America's clean energy economy for the next century.

A provision I contributed to the GREEN Act provides incentives to lenders and financial institutions to help consumers who build, buy or remodel their homes and businesses to improve their energy efficiency--lowering their energy bills, curbing waste and reducing carbon emissions all at once. I strongly encourage my colleagues to support these priorities by passage of the amendment and of the underlying legislation.

While I support many of the changes in the Manager's Amendment, I do have concerns about provisions in the Amendment which address over-the-counter derivatives, a matter which falls properly within the jurisdiction of the Financial Services Committee, and which I believe would best be addressed in that setting.

These reservations notwithstanding, I strongly encourage the passage of the Manager's Amendment and of the American Clean Energy and Security Act, which marks a historic step toward innovation and energy independence for our Nation.

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