[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 186 (Thursday, December 6, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H14454]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                              {time}  1700
                   ENERGY POLICY FOR A NEW DIRECTION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of 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. It's a policy 
that is based in the future, it a policy that is based in American 
ingenuity, talent and skills. It's 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 it's 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 Innovation 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 high-tech, in the venture capital 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 
country; that 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.

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