Date: 2016-02-01
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I stand in strong support of S. 2152 an important legislation. I support S. 2152 because it seeks to establish a comprehensive United States policy that encourages the efforts of countries in Africa to develop an appropriate mix of electricity solutions. including renewable energy. for more broadly distributed electricity access in order to support poverty reduction. promote development outcomes. and drive economic growth. and for other purposes. According to the World Bank. those living on $1.25 day in Africa accounted for 48.5% of the population in that region in 2010. Moreover. the U.S. Energy Information Administration statistics state that in 2011 the whole of Africa possessed only 78 gigawatts of installed generation capacity. of which South Africa accounted for 44 gigawatts. By comparison. installed capacity in the United States alone was 1.053 gigawatts. In other words. all of Africa has only 7% of the electric capacity of the United States. This is why S. 2152 is important. as it can be instrumental in helping to facilitate higher energy capacities in Africa. Furthermore. actual production capacity for Africa is likely to be substantially lower than the theoretical quantity because of inadequate maintenance. outmoded equipment and fuel shortages. Using percapita data. a US citizen on average uses 12.461 kilowatt hours of electricity per annum. a citizen of Ethiopia uses 52. On average. only 30% of Africas citizens have any access to electric electricity. and even where electricity is available. provision can be sporadic. with frequent electricity cuts and "brownouts." For now. the continent remains largely dependent on hydroelectricity with 13 countries utilizing hydroelectricity for 60% or more of their energy. But. hydroelectricity relies on rain and Africas rain fall is sporadic at best. The reliance on sporadic rainfall adversely impacts the effectiveness and accessibility to hydroelectricity sources. Energy is a key life blood of every economy and community. In addition to electricity in homes. the energy sector has been instrumental in creating millions of jobs. providing lighting to communities and healthcare centers. fueling our vehicles. increasing literacy and life expectancy. As an advocate for energy empowerment in Africa. I have championed energy brain trusts that are convened to serve as a platform for all relevant stakeholders from the energy sectors including coal. electric. natural gas. nuclear. oil and emerging energy sources such as wind. solar. hydroelectricity and turbine energy. I support the Electrify Africa Act as it will address the energy issues of the day. As you all may know. with enthusiasm. optimism and a collaborative spirit I partnered with my colleagues here in Congress and experts in other U.S. agencies such as USAID. which has been spearheading innovative energy initiatives through its interagency efforts. This legislation is important because it will increase the number of people with new access to electricity and electricity services. This legislation will improve and expand the generation. transmission and distribution of electricity. I support this legislation because it provides reliable electricity to people and businesses in urban and rural communities. It will address the energy needs of citizens living in areas where there is little or no access to electricity grids. It is also important because it will help develop plans to systemically increase coverage in rural areas. It will facilitate the reduction in transmission and distribution losses and improve enduse efficiency and demandside management as well as end energyrelated impediments to business productivity and investment. Additionally. this legislation will facilitate the capacity of countries in Africa to monitor appropriately and transparently the regulation of the power sector. It will also serve as an economic stimulator because it will encourage private investment in energy production and distribution. Overall. this legislation is important because it makes accessible a human necessity: electricity. which will dramatically improve the quality of life of children. women and men. Access to electricity will aid the midwife in successfully delivering a healthy child. while insuring the mothers successful recovery. Access to electricity. taken for granted in some parts of the world is critical in Africa because it will provide the light for a child to do his or her homework. Electricity gives Africas future innovator. politician and teacher access to the internet: opening countless doors. I support this legislation because it will promote firsttime access to electricity and electricity services for at least 50.000.000 people in Africa. This legislation will facilitate the installation of at least 20.000 additional megawatts of electricity in Africa by 2020 in both urban and rural areas. When Africa succeeds the world succeeds and this is why I support this legislation and I thank my colleagues for their bipartisan support across both chambers of the House.