Date: 2007-12-06
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. Members of the House. for too long this Nation has been held hostage and has been dependent upon Middle East oil. For too long this Nation has been held hostage and been dependent on the automakers of this country in terms of determining whether kind of transportation we will have in the United States. Today. just an hour or an hour and a half ago. this House voted overwhelmingly and on a bipartisan basis to break that dependency and to become free again. to become free of Middle East oil. to become free of the automakers who have prevented us from having more efficient automobiles. getting better miles per gallon. and greener. to save our environment. By that vote. this House spoke for the independence of this country. By that vote. this House spoke for the American people who have been demanding from us now for many years to have automobiles that were more efficient. less polluting. that serve their needs. For many years. they have told us that they have been worried about our national security. about our foreign policy. when we are driven to decisions based upon the dependency of Middle East oil. based upon the dependency of foreign oil. based on the dependency of not having our own energy house in order so we can make those decisions. When they have seen time and again American lives and treasure lost to secure sources of oil. they have asked for a new direction. They have asked for a new day in American energy policy. Just a couple of hours ago. the House of Representatives delivered to the American people that new energy policy and that new direction..Its a policy that is based in the future. it a policy that is based in American ingenuity. talent and skills. Its a policy that is based in innovation and discovery. the things that America has been great at since this country was founded. that real talent and the strengths of this Nation being pulled together for the new technologies of wind energy. of biotech energy. of ethanol. and the other alternative fuels that are available. to the alternative sources of electricity. whether its wave energy. solar energy. That is what America does best. We have wasted 8 years while we have refused to embrace the future. This bill over the next few years will generate 3 million jobs in every geographic sector of this Nation as utilities seek out alternative energy sources for the generation of electricity. That means the people will be going to work in solar facilities. people will be going to work in wind facilities. people will be going to work in biofuel facilities. in ethanol facilities. in all kind of new technologies. new production. new manufacturing. the next generation of manufacturing. the next generation of innovation. When we were working on our Inno7 vation Agenda. which this Congress passed a couple of months ago and was sent to the President. passed overwhelmingly on a bipartisan vote. signed by the President of the United States. when we were working on that Innovation Agenda with the leaders in biotech. in hightech. in the venturecapital community. people who are betting real money on the future of this country. they told us to give them a new energy policy that would drive a next generation of technology in the computer industry. in the telecommunications industry. in the biotech industry. that would drive the next generation of investment in energy and in the future of this countrythat would drive the next generation of discovery and innovation. Today. the House of Representatives delivered that energy policy to the American companies so they can go to work in discovery and innovation and creating jobs here in America in the new industries surrounding the new energy future and the new energy policy. I am very. very proud this day to be a Member of the House of Representatives. casting this vote for a -new energy future for America.