[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 70 (Tuesday, May 11, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E798]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HOME STAR ENERGY RETROFIT ACT OF 2010

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                               speech of

                         HON. LAURA RICHARDSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 6, 2010

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 5019) to 
     provide for the establishment of the Home Star Retrofit 
     Rebate Program, and for other purposes:

  Ms. RICHARDSON. Madam Chair, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5019--
Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010. I want to thank my colleague 
Representative Welch for bringing this important bill to the floor.
  In our current economic crisis we need to seize on opportunities to 
create jobs, and with our need to find the energy to power our country, 
we need to find every kilowatt of savings we can. This bill will help 
accomplish both of those goals.
  Home Star is a short-term program to create jobs, save energy, and 
lower families' energy bills. Home Star will restart the assembly lines 
at factories that manufacture energy efficiency technologies and will 
put construction workers back on the job installing these improvements 
in the homes of millions of American families.
  There are huge energy savings available through basic retrofits, 
which will save people money and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. 
By encouraging people to help themselves through the installation of 
specific energy-saving technologies, including insulation, duct 
sealing, windows and doors, air sealing, and water heaters, we will all 
benefit.
  Home Star is expected to allow 3 million families to retrofit their 
homes to be more energy efficient. Consumers are predicted to save $9.2 
billion on their energy bills over the next 10 years as a result of 
Home Star's energy efficiency investments. And Home Star will create 
168,000 new jobs here in the United States. Construction jobs cannot be 
outsourced, and more than 90 percent of energy efficiency technologies 
are manufactured here in America.
  We also must do everything we can to continue to encourage the 
development of an energy efficiency industry in this country. Foreign 
countries are threatening to take our market share in manufacturing 
energy efficient technologies and we cannot let this huge market go 
offshore. This bill will help create a larger market for these products 
and solidify our position as a market leader.
  This bill is a win-win-win, and I urge all of my colleagues to 
support it.

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