to recognize mr speaker age with channel one provides for consideration of h r fifty three fifty one there were no more energy and energy conservation tax act of two thousand eight hund gentlemen proceed the rule provides ninety minutes of debate on the bill equally divided and controlled by the committee of ways and means the room makes an order an amendment in the nature of a substitute put in the congressional record if offered by or his designee the substitute amendment is debatable for one hour the rule also provides to recommit the bill with or without instructions mr speaker today the bait is quite simple is about taking action on an important priority the american people it is about investing in renewable energy that was chart a new direction for a country's energy policy this bill one sure that hardworking americans can buy affordable energy that is environmentally sound and restores balance to our energy policy after years of favoring big oil mr speaker hard working american families are struggling to pay their bills in an uncertain economy faced the growing cost of basic necessities such as gasoline and heating oil this is a direct result of rising oil prices as members of congress we have a responsibility to protect constituents from big oil companies and countries that are taking advantage of working families that we know about energy and energy tax conservation act the store's balance to our energy policy for years we've had a tax structure that favors huge oil companies over the american family mr speaker i believe the facts speak for themselves all cost today rose to one hundred two dollars a barrel for the first time in history it is more expensive for americans to drive their kids to school to go to the grocery store to heat their homes and to vacation with their families americans are paying more than ever to fill up their cars and big oil companies are reaping the profits in my home state of california the price of gasoline is more than double what it was when this emission came into office last year exxon mobil posted the largest profit in american history nearly forty billion dollars to one company this equation is simple americans pay more io companies make more this is unacceptable for the families we represent unfortunately it is perfectly acceptable for our president it was a president who said that we don't need incentives for all and gas companies to explore that was back when the price of oil was fifty five dollars per barrel it is now almost double that it is obvious that any system that rewards the top earning oil companies and the blacks are can this you want and the environment ignores the priorities of the american people mr speaker today's legislation will correct this inequity it will transfer some of the massive profits enjoyed by these oil companies and invest in a manner in oil resources their power economy in the future our scientists have been hard at work researching ways to harness the power for asses of our planet we can have a healthy economy even as we preserve our natural resources and our skies solar wind and geothermal technologies are ready for the mainstream our legislation will help get them there in case of solar we are not just creating new incentives we are extending successful tax breaks that help these company industries get off the ground our legislation well out public agencies to issue bonds to pay for clean energy projects some of the most effective public energy agencies in the country have put this provision at the top of their priority list this envisions a future where our country is no longer beholden to the oil market it will dramatically pump up our domestic production of unknowable fuels such as bio diesel as cellulosic alcohol the bill also contains a tax break to increase the number of alternatives the feeling stations so that americans have options to fill up on the next generation of fuels this legislation back in ny says that we can and must create the  technologies today that we can use in the future it harnesses armband of american spirit to tackle our energy problems it creates a sliding scale tax incentive for consumers to purchase plug in hybrid electric vehicles encourages investment and soul of fuel cells and harnesses the power of cutting edge technology that produce energy from landfill gas and marine sources it builds on the desire of the american people for a more balanced and progressive energy policy making our homes and buildings more energy efficient is one of the most cost effective ways to save money and power our legislation contains significant incentives for efficiency programs these changes will save money for our constituents in the short and long run they will also help preserve jobs is tax incentives for when the solar production are not extended  hundred sixteen thousand american jobs will be lost the legislation before us is critical to the health of our economy most important though is that this legislation bills on the desire of the american people for more balance in progressive energy policy the american people want us to take action to modernize our energy supply and that is what we are doing this bill will also help to lessen our dangerous dependence on oil from unstable parts of the world earlier this month our energy markets were disturbed by rumors of venezuela both cutting off oil shipments events like these are stark reminder that even though with the strongest country in the world we're also very vulnerable the short side of energy policy the path of undermining our national security will only get weaker unless we change course now in the best and we're normal fuels that are produced here at home not in countries that wishes harm this are the message that the american people have been sending as for a long time we must overall hall our energy policy and this bill is a second step toward this goal we took the first step late last year when aisle we worked in a bipartisan manner to pass the first increase in fuel economy standards in decades we could have done even more to restore balance to our energy policy many of the provisions in today's bill were of sacramento she and her family other reasons why we must chart a new course forward here today because of trying to balance our household budget liquid has stopped by need as a grocery store because she has to pay so much for gas at the pump today is in sacramento is three dollars and thirty five cents a gallon she has to make a choice between buying food for a family are filling up her gas tank it is for the sake of people like the creature that encourage my colleagues to support the legislation on the floor today this bill makes us safer by reducing our dependence on foreign oil it protects the pocketbook pocketbook of hardworking americans like hutchison and it transforms our energy policy to maximize the benefits of clean affordable a renewable energy if we pass today's bill this kind of clean energy future is within our gras i rise in opposition to this closed rule and all the majority calls this a structured rule but it's a closed rule technically the majority gave the minority the ability to offer a substitute amendment if the substitute amendment was printed in the congressional record before the end of the legislative day the rule giving the minority the opportunity to draft a substitute was put passed out of the rules committee at about five twenty yesterday evening the house finished so legislative day at five fifty seven giving the minority thirty seven minutes in which to draft a substitute to a very complex tax issue while meeting paygo and germane this requirements i understand that at the time the house went out of session last night minority staff from the ways and means committee were talking to the office of legislative council and the joint committee on taxation in the hopes of drafting a substitute amendment but since they couldn't get all their work done in thirty seven minutes the minority in fact in fact was closed out and prohibited from offering any amendments under this closed rule what is even more even more disturbing is that i am informed that during consideration of the rule yesterday the distinguished chairwoman slaughter informed the ranking member dreier that the majority would keep the house in session so that the minority would have ample time to complete work on a substitute amendment but the question must be asked of the majority at this time how is thirty seven minutes another time to draft legislation especially on something as complicated as an energy tax bill this week or it is not enough time it is not it is most unfortunate that the majority did not give the minority time to complete its work and that we are now proceeding under this baker everyone in this body seeks to leave our children and grandchildren a better world in which to live this great nation has made great strides in protecting human health and the environment but clearly we can do more from two thousand and one to two thousand and six republican led congress has invested nearly twelve billion dollars to develop cleaner cheaper and more reliable the messick renewable energy sources this included ethanol hybrid electric vehicle technologies hydrogen fuel cell technologies wind and solar energy clean coal and advanced nuclear technologies i am pleased by the inclusion of the production tax credit the p t c in the underlying legislation being brought to the floor today the p t c provides a tax credit for electricity produced from renewable energy facilities sources such as wind mass are included under the tax credit since its enactment in one nine hundred ninety two the credit has encouraged the development of thousands of megawatts of clean renewable electric generation facilities but we must keep in mind that alternative fuels will not eliminate the need for traditional energy resources without additional supply that tight market conditions that have put pressure on prices are going to persist and this bill the legislation being brought to the floor today under this rule will do nothing to lower gas prices unfortunately the majority has included h r fifty three fifty one in h r fifty three fifty one the underlying legislation more than seventeen billion dollars in tax increases including a repeal of the section one ninety nine manufacturing deduction this tax incentive current law is aimed at reducing u s dependence on foreign oil by encouraging the match that exploration and production of oil and natural gas by removing this incentive for the domestic production of oil and natural gas we would increase the incentive to look overseas for those energy sources how mr speaker with that how would that be in our national interest how does increasing the cost of doing business in the united states decrease the cost of gasoline for americans why would we want to the incentivize investment in a sector of our economy with one point eight million well paying jobs in the united states of america removal of these incentives will drive up prices to the american consumer even further and increase our dependence on foreign suppliers such as the buffoon who earlier this month cut off oil sells to exxon mobil and threatened once again to cut off all boils it will sells to the united states and while the buffoon java's makes those threats to our energy supplies the majority has decided that his company citgo would continue to receive a tax break that the majority in the underlying legislation seeks to take away from american companies yes mr speaker under this legislation three american oil and gas companies exxon mobil chevron conoco phillips will lose their current deduction while citgo not meet paygo requirement the minority had the opportunity submit the sub today if they want to but they did not with that mr speaker i yield three minutes to the gentlewoman from florida member of the rules committee ms cast and i thank my colleague from the rules committee very much mr speaker i rise in support of landmark renewable energy and energy conservation tax act of two thousand and eight and this rule mr speaker we are fighting for fundamental change in our nation's energy policy for too long the big oil companies have had a stranglehold over politicians in washington d c and our over our country's energy policy all we have to do  headlines these days headline pain at the pump grow another headline cost of gas hits all time high but there's a very interesting juxtaposition of headline because the other headline in our nation's newspapers read something like this exxon mobil profits sets record again that's right almost forty one billion dollars last year breaking only the record that they had set last year this sales figure alone exceeds the gross domestic product of one hundred and twenty countries to put this in perspective exxon mobil are in more than one thousand two hundred eighty seven dollars of profit for every second in the year two thousand and seven so here's the question do the american people continue to subsidize the big oil companies while they're making record profits or do we shift our investment to cleaner renewable fuels mr speaker i know the white house does not like this president bush said he would veto this but we're not going to give up this new congress led by democrats is responding to folks in every state in america demanding change in our country's energy policy they understand that this is vital to our national security and it's vital to their pocketbooks the contrast between the politics of the past represented by the white house and our forward looking bill could not be clear remember just seven years ago the administration's energy task force met behind closed doors it consisted of energy oil company executives and the administration fought to keep everything secret renewable sources of energy were not a priority the earth's climate change was not a priority and their recommendations involve more drilling more mining and more of the same which led only to record gas prices for families record profits for oil companies and disastrous national security consequences i mean after all under the current administration gas prices have doubled in contrast our groundbreaking efforts to date are setting our country on a path towards energy independence despite the fact that the white house continues to side with big oil and threaten a veto of this bill we are not going to give up we already have a great record we've we've strengthened national security by increasing the fuel efficiency standard thank you we've raised the fuel economy standards we've lowered energy costs by focusing on conservation and efficiency we've tackled global climate change but we are only just beginning to set the new course on the nation's energy policy by repealing subsidies to the big oil companies and investing in the new renewable energies we will continue to march toward new energy solutions mr speaker the status quo in washington is not acceptable anymore the white house might threaten national intelligence has clearly stated that each and every day that we move past the expiration of the protect america act our ability to monitor to track radical jihadist groups and others people who want to attack america would erode those comments were directed or were were reinforced by the chairman of the intelligence committee and the other body when the other body did the appropriate thing and passed a long term pfizer the foreign intelligence surveillance act bill enabling our intelligence community to have the tools that they need to keep america safe it's been two weeks since the other body passed their bill it's been two more than two weeks of inaction by this house i guess this house did have action we went home for twelve days on an extended vacation i guess this house did have action we left late in the afternoon yesterday we worked all the way almost all six o'clock but making sure that we did not address this pfizer issue this key component of national security each and every day we become more vulnerable how vulnerable does the other side want us to be come each and every day the other side fights to give more rights to people who might do america harm each and every day we undercut the activities of the men and women in the intelligence community who are doing everything that they can keep america safe but who find each and every day the other side time their hands behind their back and leavening their capabilities to keep america safe at a time when we're in a very dangerous world the efforts by radical jihad us to attack us and our troops in iraq and afghanistan they do continue there is an urgency as far as our troops are concerned that this issue needs to be dealt with even the individuals on the other side repeatedly say there's no urgency to deal with this issue additional minute don't recognize for one minute thank you the other side says there's no urgency tell that's our men and women in iraq and afghanistan tell that to our allies in the middle east our allies in israel who the leader of in iraq has recently said let's use iraq to be a launching pad to attack the roots long tell that to our allies the israelis who are under threat from house below tell that to our allies throughout the middle east where the second goal and objective of radical jihad is is to undermine their regimes and overthrow them and it seems that much of the world believes that there is an urgency the president the other body the president and the other body negotiated in reach an agreement we agree with that direction house republicans many democrats would vote for but democratic leadership continues to stand in the way and prevent this bill from coming up considered by this out there is an urgency as much as of the other side would like to believe that there is not vote against the previous question allow the senate bill to come up for a vote today with that i yield back the balance of my time delay from california mr speaker  would like to just say unfortunately it is ironic that the minute nobody's coming to the floor with this issue yet again especially since the minority has refused to come to the table as we are trying to work out the differences between the house version yes we've been trying to move forward with this negotiations but the minority has not been willing to participate and to lie to my my colleagues that one of the most the stabilizing forces in the world is a competition for declining oil resources when we break our dependence on foreign oil with this bill today we will be safer and our country better positioned to respond to the threats we face and with that need to speaker i yield two minutes to the gentleman from new york a member the rules committee mr curry general of new york is recognized i think the gentlewoman from california i just like to point out that the it said that we have to hear about everything but the center g i bill but of course  this is a good bill so oh people on the other side of the al want to talk about everything but this rule in this bill rice today in strong support of the rule h r fifty three fifty one the renewable energy and energy conservation act which will not only bring this country into a new alternative energy future but strengthen our economy create jobs and boost small business in the very towns and rural communities where we need it most during these uncertain economic times it's absolutely critical that we pass legislation to invest in jobs for today and long term development for tomorrow the best way to encourage growth and development of new technologies to let business invest their own money in ways that expand our economic arises tax credits for alternative energy production have the power to truly jumpstart our economy and create good paying highly skilled jobs that can't be sent overseas in my upstate new york district our location is with natural resources and first class scientific and technological community make us perfectly poised to seize the opportunity create new green economy and compete with green collar jobs i recently had the opportunity to see firsthand what investments in alternative energy production can do i attended a groundbreaking at misc almost thirty million dollars so you lots of ethanol facility in rome new york and went to the grand opening of the schuyler wood pellet plant in herkimer county which will create eighteen full time green collar jobs onsite wood pellets to heat thirty three thousand homes and provide a ten point five million dollar investment in upstate new york future that is the kind of future that is the kind of bill that we are here to support today this is why i'm especially glad to support minority on pfizer and it's really too bad we won't participate i have to tell my colleague from california i am the ranking member on the technical and tactical intelligence subcommittee i've been invited to no meetings the ranking member the entire house house committee on intelligence has been invited to no meetings then the reason is that there's been no motion to go to conference on the feis a bill and there is a difference within the democratic caucus you can even come talk to us until you resolve your own problems internally because the reality is that a majority of this body democrats and republicans want to immediately take up this bill that will close the gap in our intelligence collection that has existed now for eleven days the rule that we're being asked to consider today actually tables the faisel legislation and if the rule is defeated we will immediately bring up the senate bill that closes this critical intelligence gap you don't have to believe me china rockefeller on the floor of the united states senate twelve days ago said quote people have to understand around here that the quality of intelligence we're going to be receiving is going to be degraded is going to be degraded it's already going to be degraded the senate bill will reestablish the procedures that we set up in august to listen to foreigners in foreign countries without a warrant to require warrants for americans and put in place stronger civil liberties protections than we've had in the base bill in one to set the spending the existence  hundred seventy eight and will provide liability protection for our partners in this effort and tools to compel assistance similar to those that are under the criminal wiretap procedures americans need to understand that the senate has passed a bill to close this intelligence data that bill can be pending and passed on the floor of this house today and the president would sign it we are operating today under outdated procedures that are delaying our ability to listen rapidly to new tips that come in today i've been out to our intelligence agencies and sometimes they start out by saying congresswoman i know you're here to look at a particular program but i want you to look at what we're tracking today this is what we're trying to find out today here are the five people worried about most today here's a group of terrorists that are we think are transmitting madrid they've just come from pakistan we don't know where they're going or what they're planning we're trying to disrupt and stop terrorist attack every single day in this country and the minority the democrat liberal leadership of this house refuses to bring to the floor of this house a bill that will close that gap and you foreign intelligence surveillance act continues to give the intelligence community the tools it needs to monitor terrorists that government always has the option of tapping targets immediately and returning to the fight to court within seventy two hours to obtain an order additionally gentleman from florida mr mahoney some of them voted recognize i want to thank the general a d for giving me the opportunity to speak here today on such an important issue but before i go with my my remarks i'd just like to point out that the issue of pfizer has to do with making sure that the president gets immunity not the telecom companies and and the rush to try to do something is really disappointing when we are a nation of the rule of law  and it's important for the american people to understand exactly what happened here after nine eleven with the telecommunications companies giving information to the president illegally having said that i represent sixteenth congressional district of florida my district is home to a subtropical climate and rich soil it is the largest and most varied producer of biomass needed to produce cellulosic ethanol unfortunately some of my rural areas are also the poorest in florida where we have high unemployment and an almost forty percent dropout rate in our high schools many of our rural youth don't see that getting their high school diploma will make a difference in their lives thanks to congress the day is coming when america can turn its back on foreign oil because we had the courage to create a biofuels industry here in america a business that will transform rural america thanks to chairman rangle a chart fifty three fifty one helps to make this vision a reality b giving cash gasoline companies a tax credit for blending cellulosic ethanol this credit in addition to the energy and farm bills we passed last year we'll get wall street to open their wallets and invest in cellulosic ethanol businesses throughout rural america it will give our rural youth hope and the opportunity to have a job with a future yield back the balance of my time gemma from florida speakers my privilege to yield to four minutes of the distinguished ranking member continues to be at greater risk of attack from terrorist yesterday i submitted an amendment to the rules committee to attach the senate passed by said bill to h r fifty three fifty one renewable energy and energy conservation tax act of two thousand eight house democrats once again refused to bring this commonsense bipartisan bill to the floor for a straight up or down vote last year admiral mcconnell the director of national intelligence warned congress that the intelligence community was missing two thirds of all overseas terrorist communications further endangering american lives congress enacted the protect america act to close this loophole for terrorist the senate working with the administration drafted legislation to modernize fi set and give our intelligence agencies a longterm law under which they could operate it has been two weeks since the senate overwhelmingly approved their bill by a vote of sixty eight to twenty nine we should vote on it immediately to better protect american lives mr speaker i also oppose h r fifty three fifty one the renewable energy and energy conservation and act of two thousand and eight h r fifty three fifty one contains some beneficial provisions such as creating incentives to make energy the efficiency improvements to new and existing homes and extending tax credits to encourage the production of alternative forms of energy but while it is well and good to encourage alternative energy development congress should not do so by damaging our domestic oil and gas industry according to the department of energy in two thousand and six all renewable energy sources provide only six percent of the u s domestic energy supply and contrast oil and natural gas provided fifty eight percent of our domestic energy supply the numbers don't lie oil and natural gas fuel our economy and sustain our way of life furthermore almost two million americans are directly employed in the oil and gas history punishing whenever our nation's most important industries does not constitute a national energy policy the answer to lowering gas prices or reducing our dependence on foreign oil is not to remove seventeen point six billion dollars in tax incentives from the oil and gas and history the answer is to utilize our domestic resources including anwar according to former interior secretary gale norton anwar would supply every drop of petroleum for florida for twenty nine years new york for thirty four years california for sixteen years or new hampshire for three hundred fifteen years could also supply washington c for one thousand seven hundred ten years the answer is also to build new refineries but no new major refinery has been built in the united states in the past fifteen years and to develop more nuclear energy as most european and asian countries have already done but no new nuclear facility has received a construction license in the united states for thirty years even though safe technology is now available mr speaker instead of penalize in the oil and gas industry congress should pass real energy reform expanded mystic exploration of oil and gas build more refineries and construct more nuclear facilities but just take her out of the balance of my time back to the gym and from nearly eight years this administration's backwards energy policy has lined the pockets of oil company executives while hurting american consumers the economy and the planet since president bush took office the price of oil has gone from thirty dollars a barrel to new record high price of one hundred and one dollars a barrel yesterday as a result of this administration's failed energy policies our dependence on foreign oil is now over sixty percent and we are hemorrhaging funds to pay for our oil addiction at the rate of over five hundred thousand dollars a minute thirty million dollars an hour five billion dollars a week sent overseas and consumers are the ones paying the price for our oil addiction gas prices are now at a nationwide average of three dollars and fourteen cents up nearly one dollars from a year ago this administration's centric energy policy has proven itself to be completely bankrupt for everyone except big oil while americans and consumers are being tipped upside down at the pump and having money shaken out of their pockets big oil is recording the greatest corporate profits we have ever seen in the history of the world today we debate whether we will repeal unnecessary tax breaks for the biggest oil companies and use those funds to spur investment  renewable energies biofuels and energy efficiency the future of renewable energy is in america's hands but the money to fund the renewable revolution is stuck in big oil's pockets  ile energy is and is ready to take off but it needs us to build the runway that is what we are going to be debating here today thirty percent of all new electricity in the united states last year was solar rather was when there was an eighty percent increase in the photovoltaic installations in the united states last year the future is clear it is in front of our eyes we must give it t listen to foreign terrorists talking to foreign terrorists overseas and it's intellectually not honest with the american people if you don't tell them what you're doing because it's dangerous it's really dangerous this is day eleven day eleven that you're starting to slowly turn off our ability to listen to bad guys plotting to kill americans and to kill our allies overseas men women children christians jews and muslims the danger of this is very real and very palpable they passed a bipartisan bill in the senate and said this is urgent let's do it two weeks ago the director of the odeon i said came out and said this is important we've often said here we should listen to our commanders in the field they are screaming at the top of their lungs give us this authority so we can continue to keep america safe i heard some argument that gee we can just listen if we want to we can come to the fight as a court if we want i used to be an f b i agent it took me nine months to develop the probable cause on my first case to get a criminal title three which is the same as a pfizer to listen to somebody else conversations and it should be that hard it should be that hard for united states citizens they deserve that protection under our constitution but what you're saying is you think that those overseas criminals a criminal in pakistan a terrorist plotting to kill americans making a phone call from pakistan that ends up in saudi arabia we ought to say well wait a minute we need to come all the way back to the court we need to work up probable cause and try to figure out if we ought to be listening to that conversation no american out there and quoting the majority of the senate and i think the majority in this chamber believes that's the right standard to keep america safe this is dangerous now i know you're down here with a even thinking if we just distract them long enough they'll think this is about big oil companies and all of that mess this is about the majority killing our opportunity to give this tool this authority which they have used responsibly to make sure that we don't have attacks against americans here what does a majority of the senate in a majority of this house see that the majority leadership does not what won't they see and why won't they tell the american people what they're doing today eleven every day that goes by we are in jeopardy of attack i will guarantee you this today there is somebody picking up some electronic instrument to communicate what plan they may have to kill americans or as i said before our allies or christians or jews or muslims what will it take for the majority to stand up and stop politicking on the lives of kind americans our allies and every global person to stand up and say we will stand for the defense of the united states and its allies and we will stop the terrorists time in their tracks i would urge the strong rejection of this rule mr speaker i am i want to just say i said before this is just to remind my colleagues that we are considering the rule for that we know about energy and energy conservation act today so not dale levin of pfizer we have passed by the it is day two thousand five hundred ninety three of the bush administration that has allowed us to be to remain addicted to oil has allowed the price of gas to be doubled during his administration and has allowed us to continue on a course of being insecure because we are wrapped around the axle of oil because of these tax subsidies and it is time to turn course this side of the aisle believes the status quo in energy is acceptable we don't think that's good enough we believe that americans are smart enough creative enough and innovative enough to launch a new apollo project in energy so that we can do for energy what kennedy did for space and this bill is step one in that regard all over this country americans  inventing a new new energy future for us the austro solar energy company in florida with clean solar thermal power the nano solar company that made the first commercial sale of thin so photovoltaics last month the imperium company in my state of washington with bio diesel that powered the first jet airliner flight was bio diesel with virgin air last weekend the all to rock company the first enhanced geothermal company now growing in the state of washington he come pany which is opening up a new winter been blade construction project we essentially are ready to launch a rocket of clean energy innovation in this country but this side of the aisle and my friends unfortunately have put a hold on the countdown and we're about two seconds away to really having a burst of economic growth in this country but they are allowing these tax breaks to expire which are strangling the birth of these new industries two minutes distinguished gentleman california mr bilbray chairman california is recognized as the minute mr speaker the gentle lady from california pointed out rifle a that they barrel oil is come up to a hundred dollars a gallon but what if i told you of a industry or a group that wanted the consumer to have to pay three hundred and thirty dollars for a comparable barrel of oil mr speaker this rule is protecting an industry and a plot to pick the pockets of the american consumer while polluting our air and what i'm talking about is the fact that in california today the federal government is mandating that we put an additive into our gasoline we're being required to have corn ethanol put into our gasoline which is costing a comparable six dollars a gallon so when someone stands on the floor and says they're outraged at the price of gasoline let me just ask you you either have to confront the fact that this rule is protecting a bill that is protecting the picking of our pockets air with corn ethanol and everyone knows that it's a sham they know that it's out there costing more and those of us that have worked on the air pollution issue us myself the california air resources board is telling you not only don't mandate this stuff outlaw all this stuff it is polluting our air and costing a comparable six dollars a gallon so i hope the american people remember when someone stands up here and says this is a green bill this bill stinks to high heaven it's polluting our air and picking our pockets under the guise of protecting the environment or protecting the consumer the group that is working together to cause this rip off and this pollution is the united states congress and this the blame goes on both sides but the majority has the chance now to address this issue now i understand those who may have corn producers in their district justifying this kind of action but what about all of us that don't have that i ask you today stand up for the environment stand up for the consumer vote against this rule and bring it back without corn subsidies thank you jenny generally from california mr speaker i yield to minister the gentleman from pennsylvania pence pennsylvania is recognized for two minutes and i thank mr speaker and i just when i joined the navy during the vietnam war we had one destroyer in the persian gulf and a few years later the early seventy's we had our very first embargo of oil blockade of oil of the united states when opec which today controls forty two percent of the oil resources shut off the spigot surely there after in the navy we moved an aircraft carrier battle group into the persian gulf where he's remained ever since including during the war the tanker war in the eighty's where we convoyed oil tankers back and forth and as we did so and i did so i just questioned all the time why are we doing this can't we act i watch from the mid eighty's as the number amount of oil imports from overseas increased from twenty seven percent to sixty percent today were en route to seventy percent by twenty twenty five and seven trillion dollars we've lost due to these price disruptions and these price manipulations by those overseas do we expect the price to go down like it did after the seventy's i'm not so sure unless we take action because now we have china that just this past year passed us as the number one  emissions at twenty two percent of all bad greenhouse emissions this is a china that in the next decade wants that nazia harriet home for every one of its populace in one decade that will take as much energy as we have used as a world in the last few centuries as i sit back i believe that this bill is late it is should have been done before it should have had these incentives for us to manufacture energy efficient appliances that have working families then in speed incentivized to purchase them that production tax credits in order to have affordable energy solar power and geothermal energy i speak from experience of being out there this is the military security issue may i have heard that dish now thirty seconds is a lot of energy security issue but also a military security issue a national security issue if i might speak i headed the not navys and i terrorism unit i was in the white house working terrorism issues this bill is about efficiency not effectiveness we are as safe today as when president reagan operated under pfizer as the first president bush is this president i know i was on the ground in afghanistan i wanted that intelligence is no way i would even vote in order to do what we're doing on fison if i didn't know the men and women were the cloth of energy bill and she pointed that out because we have been stressing the need to debate the foreign intelligence surveillance act and i want to point out mr speaker to our colleagues that the rule that we're debating today this rule lays on the table it tables resolution nine eighty three also already to address legislation concerning foreign intelligence surveillance so it's quite germane and relevance in discussing and debating this rule to be insisting upon a debate on pfizer and with that in mind having said that you'll two minutes to the distinguished gentleman from california mr newness jim california's recognized for two minutes thank you mr speaker i think what we're seeing here today heard several members come down to the floor and talk about fires and talk about that this is not part of the bill that we're supposed to be here to debate energy and fact what the gentleman from florida is talking about is that we have a responsibility here in the congress to protect the american people and our military commanders say we need this this phase extended permanent extension so that we can continue to watch over terrorists that are trying to call in and out of our country this is imperative that we get this done and so when you start to look at what are we doing here today talking about this energy bill well this is once again one of these energy bills where we're just going to tax the american consumer we're going to tax domestic oil producers and this bill has no chance to make it through the senate this chip this bill has no chance to become law so why would we be here today when we're i think we're on day eleven as mr hope mr hoekstra said earlier we're day eleven where we have not been able to surveil terrorists that are trying to call in and out of this country but instead we're debating an energy bill that taxes domestic oil producers taxes big oil companies and leaves a glaring loophole so that hugo chavez is citgo still continues to get tax breaks so i can understand if some of the democrats want to tax exxon and the big oil companies they don't like oil they don't want to use oil they want to raise the oil price the american consumer but why why would you give tax breaks to hugo  that i cannot understand we need to get off of this bogus debate on taxing oil companies and we need to get back on to protecting the american people and bring up this fight is a bill today where that  surveillance with that i would yield one and one half minutes to the gentleman mark and a member of the wait and means committee mr berman are on the floor going to recognize for one and one half a minute i appreciate the gentleman's courtesy it's interesting our colleagues on the other side of the aisle are trying desperately to change the subject there could be if i was a extension in a heartbeat they turn that down if they cared truly about national security they would be embarrassed about the bankrupt energy policy that puts our nation at risk we wouldn't have a third of a million american soldiers and civilian contractors in iraq today spending a trillion american tax dollars if iraq didn't have the second largest oil reserves and we don't have an energy policy that meets the needs of america today much less for the future the bill that we have before you that this rule entitles will be passed it will be passed that through the house today it will pass the senate it may take an election for the american people to be clear that they're tired of investing in energy policies from the past this isn't a tax increase our bill has exactly the same amount of money coming in as going out but instead of subsidizing the purchase of the largest gas guzzling s u v s we're going to subsidize hybrid plug ins instead of giving for fourteen billion dollars of unneeded subsidies to the five largest oil companies who made over one half a trillion dollars in profit we're going to help avoid the starving of the wind energy business gentlem the basic question that we face in america is the basic question we face in congress net is are we going to turn the page on a fossil fuel based energy policy that needs to change are we going to race an alternative energy policy that is going to allow us a to protect our environment be to create jobs in c to give us much more flexibility in independence and foreign policy this legislation is a step along the road of a new energy policy in a new future for this country this is not just something that is going to do the things other speakers a spoken about but it's a partnership with our state yesterday  mr speaker the vermont senate approved a very wide ranging energy bill that's going to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency the bill that we passed today will partner with that bill and work its way through the house of the vermont legislature by providing tax incentives that will stimulate a growing market all around the state in the country this legislation is going to provide up to three point six billion dollars in interest free financing to help our state and our local governments finance environmental conservation and efficiency programs you know we all have our positions on how this affects oil oil is doing pretty well hundred dollars a gallon consumers aren't we're looking for ways to provide relief but we're looking for ways to protect our environment at the same time what this legislation embodies is a confidence that we have the tech ology in the intellectual strength in this country to forge a new energy policy that is renewable that in the process can speaker you myself of the balance of our time gentleman is recognized as the speaker it's disappointing that the majority has decided really to really the waste and waste the time of this congress with legislation that three times has failed to make it through the senate and that observers covering congress have called a rerun instead of wasting time on legislation that will never make it in the law we should be considering bipartisan legislation that will protect americans from international terrorism on february fourteenth the majority decided to leave washington to take a president's day recess and allow the protect america act to expire two days later rendering u s intelligence officials unable to begin new terrorist surveillance without cumbersome bureaucratic hurdles because of the deliberate inaction of the majority the united states today is more vulnerable to a terrorist attack and this did not have to happen earlier this month the senate passed by a bipartisan vote of sixty eight to twenty nine a bill updating the foreign intelligence surveillance act that the chairman of the intelligence committee said and i quote it's the right way to go in terms of the security of the nation as speaker we could have easily considered that legislation with a majority instead decided to head home the house should vote on the senate measure and we should do it now instead of debating this law just sation which will not become law and is really nothing more than a rerun we must always stay one step ahead of those who wish harm on americans now is not the time to do to in any way in any way tie the hands of our intelligence community the modernization of foreign intelligence surveillance into this century is a critical national security priority i'm pleased that several of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle also agree on january january twenty eighth twenty one members of the blue dog coalition sent a letter to the speaker in support of the senate legislation the letter states and i quote the rockefeller bond five the legislation contains satisfactory language addressing all these issues and we would fully support that measure should it reach the house floor without substantial change we believe these components will ensure a strong national security apparatus that can thwart terrorism across the globe and save american lives here in the united states end quote will give all members of this house an opportunity to vote on the bipartisan long term modernization of pfizer i call on all my colleagues including members of the blue dog coalition that signed the letter to the speaker to join with objection and i urge my colleagues to vote no on the previous question and in favor of a bipartisan permanent solution that will help protect american lives from international terrorism without a speaker i yield back down to florida yells back the balance of this time gentleman from california mr speaker to day to day it's really about the future of our country those of us to think that american leadership can create new sources of clean energy will vote for this bill those of us who think that high o economic uncertainty and dependence on foreign oil are good energy policy will vote against it i know where my loyalties lie in this debate they lie with americans who are struggling to find the money to drive their children to school they lie with people in my state of california who are concerned about global warming the lie of my constituents who are new direction for energy policy is for them that i support this legislation today it is for them that i urge all my colleagues to support this legislation voting for the renewable energy and energy conservation tax act is a way to show our constituents that the energy policies policies of the past are no longer acceptable the american people are challenging us to create a new strategy focused on we know an affordable energy those of us who support today's bill are meeting that challenge i urge a yes vote on the previous question and on the rule pursuant to clause eight of rule twenty proceedings will resume on questions previously postponed both will be taken in the following order prevail of the journal ordering the previous question house resolution one zero zero one adoption of house resolution one zero zero on the first electronic vote will be conducted as a fifteen minute vote remaining votes will be conducted of five minute votes pursuant to clause eight of rule twenty of the unfinished business is a question on green