[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 194 (Tuesday, December 18, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H16648]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         THE FIRST STEP TOWARD COMPREHENSIVE ENERGY LEGISLATION

  (Ms. GIFFORDS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Ms. GIFFORDS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a historic first 
step for this United States Congress; it's a step towards energy 
independence.
  The energy bill that we're considering today recognizes a tremendous 
renewable resource that we literally have at our fingertips, the power 
of the sun. This bill includes my provisions to authorize new research 
and development into solar technologies. These technologies have the 
potential to revolutionize our energy production, not just in southern 
Arizona, but across this Nation.
  As we develop these new technologies, we're going to need qualified 
workers to install and maintain the latest solar technologies. That is 
why this bill includes training programs specifically for solar 
technology.
  But this bill is only a first step. I'm disappointed that we're not 
passing the House's fiscally responsible renewable energy tax policies 
and the tax incentives that go with this legislation. Those are the 
incentives that are really going to spur energy innovation, so we're 
going to continue to work for those.
  I support this bill today, but we have a lot more work that we have 
to do. Mr. Speaker, I urge support on both sides of the aisle.

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