[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 31 (Tuesday, February 28, 2012)]
[House]
[Page H976]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     INVESTING IN ELECTRIC VEHICLES

  (Ms. HAHN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. HAHN. Madam Speaker, Californians drive a lot, so when gas prices 
jump, we feel it first and the most. Back home, gas has jumped 26 cents 
in the last week and 57 cents since this time last year. We are paying 
on the average $4.30 a gallon.
  Our constituents need our help. They also understand the definition 
of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a 
different result.
  I happen to drive a Nissan Leaf, an all-electric vehicle, which will 
be built right here in America in Tennessee in the near future. This 
gives me the benefit of driving past gas stations, but I don't have to 
fill up my tank to be shocked by the prices at the pump. And if given 
the opportunity, I think most Americans would jump at the chance to 
join me in driving right past those high gas prices and stop sending 
hundreds of billions of dollars to the Middle East.
  ``Drill, baby, drill'' won't lower gas prices today or tomorrow, but 
it will feed our addiction to dirty fossil fuels which are quickly 
running out. Let's work together to invest in infrastructure for 
electric vehicles to make them more affordable and convenient. We will 
create jobs, take hold of the economy of the future, and end our 
dependence on oil.

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