[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 127 (Thursday, September 10, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2234]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            WIND ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 2009

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. BETTY SUTTON-

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 9, 2009

  Ms. SUTTON. -Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3165, the 
Wind Energy Research and Development Act and would like to commend Rep. 
Tonko for his work on this issue.
   Wind power is one of our nation's fastest growing sources of energy. 
By 2030, the Department of Energy estimates that this industry will 
support 500,000 jobs in the U.S. and produce at least 20 percent of our 
nation's electricity.
   And we must focus our investments, leveraging private dollars, to R 
& D areas that need to be improved. We must focus R & D to improve 
gearbox reliability and performance. We must focus R & D to make 
materials more reliable and more affordable. And we must focus R & D to 
utilize wind technology offshore.
   In Ohio, we are on the verge of the first fresh water wind energy 
project in the United States. Our project could serve as a prototype 
for harnessing wind energy on similar bodies of water across the 
nation. By utilizing the wind over Lake Erie, we will find another use 
for our great natural resource.
   We must pass the Wind Energy Research and Development Act today to 
harness wind energy's potential, both on shore and off, and move away 
from foreign sources of energy.

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