Date: 2010-05-06
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Chair. I rise today in strong support of H.R. 5019. "The Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010." I would like to thank my colleague Representative PETER WELCH for introducing this legislation as it is important that we embrace programs that create jobs for Americans and help improve energy efficiency in our country. As a member of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus I am proud to express my support for this bill. Through the Home Star program. this bill seeks to create new jobs. save energy. and lower families energy bills. The Home Star program will do this by encouraging home and business owners to update their stock of appliances and electronic devices with new energy efficient devices and appliances. Through the use of rebates and other consumer incentives this program will work in a proactive economic way to promote green technology and innovation. This bill comes at an important time in our history. Madam Chair. Over the last several decades we have seen national electricity and energy use growing at unprecedented rates. We have also seen massive increases in greenhouse gas emissions and a loss in employment opportunities. This bill seeks to address each and every one of these issues with an approach that would benefit the environment and work towards the improvement of our communities. The increases in consumer spending we seek to gain from this bill would also have a massive economic impact on our country during these turbulent economic times. By spurring consumer spending we will be creating new opportunities right here in the United States for industrial. economic and jobs growth. This program is expected to allow 3 million families to retrofit their homes with new energy efficient appliances. Consumers are predicted to save $9.2 billion on their energy bills over the next 10 years as a result of Home Stars energy efficiency investments. Furthermore. the Home Star program will create 168.000 new jobs here in the United States. Madam Chair. these jobs are desperately needed as our national unemployment rate has recently hit the 10 percent mark. This legislation would stipulate that construction jobs cannot be outsourced and more than 90 percent of the energy efficiency technologies approved by this bill are also manufactured right here in the United States. This legislation will also save consumers money and cut pollution. By ensuring that more American homes and businesses are retrofitted with these new energy efficient appliances and fixtures we will be working proactively to cut greenhouse gases and reduce unnecessary use of our vital energy resources. Furthermore. this bill would also help us in our goal of achieving energy independence by further reducing our demand for foreign oil and fossil fuels. The Home Star program proposed in this bill is authorized at $6 billionhowever. H.R. 5019 will not include any appropriated funds. In other words. Madam Chair. this bill does not affect direct spending or revenue and will not hurt the American taxpayer. I stand today with Representative PETER WELCH and other Members of Congress in reaffirming our support for energy efficiency in our nation. I also stand with my fellow members of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus in supporting this bipartisan legislation. By enacting these types of economic incentives for consumers our nation will be cleaner. more efficient and will have lower levels of unemployment. I ask my colleagues for their support of H.R. 5019. as well as for their continued support of green technology and the unemployed in our nation. By increasing our support for these types of programs we will ensure that our country remains a leader in energy efficient technology. Madam Chair. I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 5019.