Date: 2012-06-05
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I respect and thank the gentleman from Indiana very much. the ranking member. for his support of the amendment. and I thank him for his leadership. I appreciate the chairmans commentary. but that is why I attempted to be very responsible and balanced. This is a merethough I take that word seriously-$10 million. And let me tell you why it is enormously important. The U.S. Department of Energy report found that wind energy could supply 20 percent of the Nations electricity by 2030. Were fast approaching that. which could entail 300.000 megawatts of new windgenerating capacity. There are States throughout the United States that would have a great opportunity for increased job creation and businesses around wind capacity. Again. a holistic approach to energy. Nearly $20 billion will be saved if the energy efficiency of commercial and industrial buildings improved by 10 percent. As a member of the Homeland Security Committee overseeing the Homeland Security Department. I know we look at all aspects to secure our Nation. Energy independence. in spite of the fact of our diversity in resources. is extremely important. Thats why I believe a holistic approach is crucial. This helps the holistic approach. As we continue in States that deal with fossil fuel. this is equally important. Thirty percent of energy in buildings is used inefficiently or unnecessarily. Ethanol is a clean renewable energy. It is helping to reduce our Nations dependence on oil and offers a variety of economic. environment benefits. Again. Im not too unappreciative. if you will. of the diversity of energy in this country not to look at all aspects of it. And I do hope that we can have a holistic approach. I think this contributes to that holistic approach. taking into account all aspects of energy in a unified energy policy. I ask my colleagues to support this amendment. and I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. Chair. I rise today to offer an amendment to H.R. 5325. the "Energy and Water Appropriations Development Act. FY 2013." My amendment provides to increase funds by $10.000.000 for the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Program. The Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Program is an essential office that invests in clean energy technologies created to strengthen our economy and protect our environment. Under H.R. 5325. this development program fosters research providing funds to innovators with the resource they need to develop energy efficient equipment that can be used at home. by the construction industry and in the transportation market. This program is designed to develop cost efficient methods through the use of renewable energy practices for the home. Financial incentives are provided to builders who utilize methods that results in the reduction of energy use during construction. as well as. manufactures within the transportation industry who research and design energy efficient vehicles. Providing additional funding to this program today only advances research that may one day result in a significant decrease in our dependence on energy from foreign sources that are hostile to U.S. interest. In addition. this program will positively impact rising fuel prices affecting Americans across the country. It is this research which will ultimately contribute to sustaining our economy by looking for domestic solutions to energy concerns thus reducing foreign dependency on highly consumed substances such as oil. Likewise it provides incentives to businesses taking initiatives to conserving energy by creating tools directly effecting solar. wind and water energy. Programs like these are vital to the Americans. in order to develop a highly skilled technical workforce to address current energy issues that have generational effects on our families and our land.