[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 205 (Wednesday, December 13, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H6925-H6926]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     CONSUMER-DRIVEN ENERGY POLICY

  (Mr. CASTEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. CASTEN. Madam Speaker, I am incredibly proud today to introduce 
the Clean Electricity and Transmission Acceleration Act with my friend, 
Congressman   Mike Levin, to remove the financial and regulatory 
barriers that are delaying the clean and cheap energy transition.
  For too long, U.S. energy policy has been focused on putting the 
interests of

[[Page H6926]]

energy producers and exporters first, which is good for a small 
minority of Americans, but is actually opposed to the interests of a 
majority of us who are energy consumers.
  Here is the thing: every new wind turbine, every solar panel, every 
geothermal plant, and every hydro plant is a threat to oil, gas, and 
coal producers who cannot compete against free. Every EV charger, every 
heat pump, and every LED light is a threat to people who make money off 
inefficiency. However, for consumers to realize those benefits and 
entrepreneurs to access those markets, we need wires to connect new 
generations to new loads.
  So over the last year, Congressman Levin and I have worked with our 
colleagues across the Democratic Caucus to develop a consumer-focused 
energy policy that makes that possible, to accelerate the deployment of 
clean energy, to accelerate Americans' access to cheap energy, and to 
refocus U.S. energy policy on the interests of energy consumers where 
it belongs.

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