Advanced Vehicle Technology Act Of 2009

Floor Speech

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Mr. POLIS. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of my amendment to H.R. 3246, The Advanced Vehicle Technology Act of 2009, which was offered by Mr. PETERS, and the underlying bill. I would first like to thank Representative GARY PETERS, Representative JUDY BIGGERT, Science and Technology Committee Chairman GORDON, my colleagues on the committee, and the committee staff for crafting this legislation that will increase the efficiency of our nation's vehicle fleet while reducing our dependence of foreign oil.

Mr. Chair, at a time when manufacturers are struggling with rising costs and foreign competition, all too often companies are forced to choose between research and the development of new clean technologies or keeping their factory doors open. No manufacturer can be blamed for choosing to not turn their employees' families loose into the winter of unemployment.

America's talented workforce is our greatest resource and our manufacturing companies understand that preserving their workforce wherever possible is essential to weathering the storm of this recession. However, to best achieve economic recovery, we must not stop at merely creating jobs. We must restore America's role as a manufacturing leader. And this cannot be done without investing in innovation. H.R. 3246 will provide the research and design dollars essential to supporting innovation, and it will do so in a competitive process to ensure that the best technologies are supported and that America's transportation fleet is the most modern and efficient in the world.

This bill's economic impact--increased production, reduced operational costs, and ease of both private and commercial transportation--is matched in its environmental benefits. The investments we will make in biofuels and electric drivetrains, as well as refinements to reduce the consumption of combustion engines--including clean diesel--will clear our skies of smog while reducing our dependence on foreign oil. America's love affair with the automobile by right should continue; however, it is imperative that we take the initiative today to make vehicles cleaner and greener for tomorrow. Future generations should be able to take part in the tradition of the summer family road trip with a vehicle that not only meets the needs of a family, but is also powered by clean energy to preserve the pristine lands such as Rocky Mountain National Park in my home State of Colorado.

These innovations, however, do not come without costs nor do they help us by sitting on a shelf. Our environment does not have time to wait for our nation's entire fleet of vehicles to cycle through their useful lives. Our economy cannot afford for these advancements to be available only to the wealthy. This legislation wisely recognizes this issue as it pertains to costly heavy duty vehicles used by industry and mass transit by investing in technologies that can be retrofitted to existing fleets.

Mr. Chair, my amendment simply adds that we must invest in retrofitting passenger cars. Retrofit technology is essential to reducing our environmental impact, and it is so an issue of social equity. The financial relief from reduced fuel costs and the ability to choose clean domestic fuel over polluting foreign oil should be made available to all Americans, not only those who have the resources to buy a new car. My amendment ensures that the millions of Americans who are unable or uninterested in a new vehicle will benefit from this investment. Whether it is a beloved '69 Mustang or the family minivan, it is vital to our national economy and security to encourage private investment in our nascent biofuels industry, and most importantly, it is vital to our planet that every vehicle on the road is capable of being powered by clean, domestic energy.

Mr. Chair, the Advanced Vehicle Technology Act will be the jumpstart our nation's manufacturers, large and small, need to make our nation's transportation network clean, green, and powered by energy made in America. I congratulate Chairman GORDON, Representative PETERS, Representative BIGGERT and the Committee on Science and Technology on crafting this legislation and ask that my colleagues support my amendment and pass the underlying bill.

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