[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 18 (Monday, February 7, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S616-S617]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. STABENOW:
  S. 298. A bill to drive American innovation and advanced vehicle 
manufacturing, to reduce costs for consumers, and for other purposes; 
to the Committee on Finance.
  Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Charging

[[Page S617]]

America Forward Act, based on similar legislation I offered last year, 
to drive innovation and advance vehicle manufacturing and to lower 
costs for consumers when they buy these great new cars and trucks of 
the future which, by the way, I would remind folks are being made in 
Michigan. So we want people to be buying those automobiles.
  In his State of the Union Address, President Obama called on us to 
rise to the challenge of the 21st-century economy to outinnovative, 
outeducate, and outbuild the rest of the world. We can do that.
  He also challenged us to put 1 million electric vehicles on the road 
by 2015. The bill I have introduced today will help us achieve that 
goal. By investing in electric vehicle innovation, we can create the 
jobs of the future in America. We are already creating those jobs in 
Michigan with these investments.
  We all know new technologies are always the most expensive, which is 
why we passed a tax credit of up to $7,500 on the purchase of a new 
electric vehicle. My bill makes that work even better for consumers. It 
turns that credit into a rebate that can be used at the time of 
purchase so that when you by a car, you would get up to the $7,500 off 
at the beginning, at the dealership, rather than waiting until you fill 
out your tax forms the next year.
  Right now there is a cap on how many people can take advantage of 
these credits. My bill would double that so more people can get the 
savings from these particular credits and buy these new, great 
vehicles. Right now, when we see gas prices anticipated to rise like 
crazy into the summer, wouldn't it be great if you had an automobile 
that went 200 or 300 miles on a gallon of gas, or maybe didn't need any 
gas at all? That is what this is about.
  The bill also increases investments in battery technology and 
innovation. We know that by supporting American innovation and 
manufacturing, we can bring jobs back. In fact, we are bringing jobs 
back from other countries because of what we have been doing through 
our investment efforts in the Recovery Act, and we can continue to 
create jobs in manufacturing in America.
  We have invested $2 billion in the Recovery Act toward advanced 
batteries--the kind of batteries that power these electric vehicles. 
Before we made that investment, the United States made 2 percent of the 
world's advanced batteries. In just 4 years, because of that 
investment, we will be making 40 percent of the world's advanced 
batteries. That is a big deal, an effective investment.
  My bill calls for doubling this smart investment and building on 
these partnerships to create even more jobs. We want to make our 
country the undisputed leader in advanced battery technology, 
manufacturing, and development, and we are on the way to doing that. We 
need to keep focused and we will get there.
  The Charging America Forward Act also extends a tax credit for 
businesses that purchase hybrid medium and heavy-duty trucks. This will 
help keep those technologies more affordable for our companies and job 
creators, in addition to the savings they will get from better fuel 
efficiency.
  The bill extends an important tax credit to support charging 
stations, so we have the infrastructure needed in our homes or in our 
garages to be able to power the electric vehicles.
  Innovation is the reason America has the strongest economy in the 
world, even with our challenges. We have always been the leader. To 
compete in the 21st century economy, we need a strong, vibrant 
investment strategy, an economy that looks to the future, not the past. 
That is what Charging America Forward is all about. With the right 
investments, we can create jobs today that will last for years and 
years to come.
  We are in a race for the future. We need to outcompete our global 
competitors around the world. We can do that. We will do that if we out 
innovate, outeducate, and outbuild. That is what this legislation is 
about--investing in the future to win that race, investing in advanced 
vehicles so we can get to that future we all want.

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