[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 71 (Wednesday, April 22, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H3057-H3061]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  RELIABLE FEDERAL INFRASTRUCTURE ACT

  Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1189, I call 
up the bill (H.R. 4690) to amend the Energy Conservation and Production 
Act to repeal certain Federal building energy efficiency performance 
standards, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate 
consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 1189, the 
amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on 
Energy and Commerce, printed in the bill, is adopted and the bill, as 
amended, is considered read.
  The text of the bill, as amended, is as follows:

                               H.R. 4690

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Reliable Federal 
     Infrastructure Act''.

     SEC. 2. REVISED FEDERAL BUILDING ENERGY EFFICIENCY 
                   PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.

       (a) In General.--Section 305(a)(3)(D)(i) of the Energy 
     Conservation and Production Act (42 U.S.C. 6834(a)(3)(D)(i)) 
     is amended--
       (1) by striking subclauses (I) and (II); and
       (2) in subclause (III), by inserting after the third 
     sentence the following: ``The certification system and level 
     may not prohibit a building from obtaining a certification as 
     a green building or high-performance green building solely 
     based on direct or indirect consumption of fossil fuels.''.
       (b) Standards.--
       (1) Repeal of certain standards.--Subpart B of part 435, 
     and subpart B of part 433, of title 10, Code of Federal 
     Regulations, as in effect on the day before the date of 
     enactment of this Act, shall have no force or effect.
       (2) Transition.--Until such time as the Secretary of Energy 
     issues new or revised regulations pursuant to subsection (d) 
     relating to the revised Federal building energy efficiency 
     performance standards under section 305(a)(3)(D) of the 
     Energy Conservation and Production Act (42 U.S.C. 
     6834(a)(3)(D)) to carry out the amendments made by subsection 
     (a)(1) of this section, such section 305(a)(3)(D) shall be 
     implemented as though the requirements of subclauses (I) and 
     (II) of clause (i) of such section 305(a)(3)(D) (as in effect 
     on the day before the date of enactment of this Act) had 
     never taken effect.
       (c) Conforming Amendment.--Section 436(h) of the Energy 
     Independence and Security Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17092(h)) is 
     amended by adding at the end the following:
       ``(3) Prohibition.--The system identified under paragraph 
     (1) may not prohibit a building from obtaining a 
     certification as a green building or high-performance green 
     building solely based on direct or indirect consumption of 
     fossil fuels.''.
       (d) Revision of Regulations.--Not later than 180 days after 
     the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Energy 
     shall issue such new or revised regulations as the Secretary 
     determines necessary to carry out the amendments made by this 
     Act.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The bill, as amended, shall be debatable for 
1 hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member 
of the Committee on Energy and Commerce or their respective designees.
  The gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie) and the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Pallone) each will control 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie).


                             General Leave

  Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the 
legislation and insert extraneous material on H.R. 4690.

[[Page H3058]]

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Kentucky?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4690, the Reliable Federal 
Infrastructure Act.
  Today's debate serves as a reminder that policy decisions carry long-
lasting implications. We are here today to reverse current law, which 
requires the Federal Government to phase out fossil fuels in new and 
renovated buildings by 2030.
  This one-size-fits-all electrification mandate for new and renovated 
Federal buildings jeopardizes the reliability and security of our 
Nation's critical Federal infrastructure.
  Winter Storm Fern's impact across the U.S. in January made it clear: 
reliable and affordable fossil fuels provide consistent power, and wind 
and solar do not.
  While coal and natural gas significantly increased their output to 
meet demand during Winter Storm Fern, burning trash in New England 
produced more electricity than wind and solar combined.
  The Federal Government and the United States military require 
uninterrupted, reliable electricity. Anything less compromises our 
national security.
  This issue is timelier than ever. While the deadlines in section 433 
to wind down the use of fossil fuels have not been enforced thus far, 
future administrations could weaponize the law to favor special 
interests who stand to gain billions in taxpayer funds to retrofit 
Federal infrastructure.
  The legislation before us today to repeal section 433 brings Federal 
building policy back to reality, and I urge my colleagues to join me in 
voting ``yes'' on H.R. 4690, the Reliable Federal Infrastructure Act.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1350

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, there is a lot going on in America today. President 
Trump is waging a reckless war in Iran, and prices are soaring for the 
American people. Thanks to Republican policies, drivers are paying 
about 35 percent more for gas than they were when the war started, and 
diesel prices are up 47 percent. Residential natural gas prices have 
increased by 13 percent since Trump took office, and inflation tripled 
last month.
  With everything that is going on, House Republicans should be 
focusing their efforts on helping Americans with the affordability 
crisis. Rising energy costs impact all aspects of life--keeping a house 
cool, driving to work, the price of groceries--and Americans need help. 
Trump and Republicans promised they would lower costs on day one, but 
Americans are over $5,000 poorer today--per person, that is--because of 
their actions, because of Trump's actions.
  However, rather than pursuing policies that help everyday Americans 
and provide them with much-needed relief, Republicans are focusing 
their efforts on saving the oil and gas industry once again.
  This bill, H.R. 4690, the so-called Reliable Federal Infrastructure 
Act, repeals the phaseout of fossil fuel for onsite generation at new 
and renovated Federal buildings. The phaseouts were a bipartisan effort 
signed into law in 2007 by then-President George W. Bush. What was 
bipartisan in 2007, I would say, is now viewed as extreme by today's 
Republicans.
  At a time when energy prices are soaring, Republicans are focused on 
ensuring that taxpayer dollars continue to go to their fossil fuel 
friends. The phaseouts repealed by this bill are projected to save 
about $3 million per year for Federal buildings constructed beginning 
in 2025, and these savings will be lost if this bill becomes law, 
wasting taxpayer dollars to the benefit of Republicans' fossil fuel 
friends.
  The Federal Government is the largest consumer of energy in the 
Nation. With this type of purchasing power, we have the ability to 
support emerging and efficient American technologies that drive down 
energy consumption. The Federal Government should be a leader in this 
space but, instead, Republicans want to ensure that we are stuck in the 
past.
  We have already come to the House floor eight times during this 
Republican Congress to repeal energy efficiency and electrification 
measures that are saving American families money on their power bills. 
With this bill, it will now be nine bills wasting taxpayer money.
  Republicans have repeatedly prioritized their anticlean energy and 
antiefficiency agenda at the expense of Americans over and over again. 
Their policies are driving up energy costs on the American people, but 
they simply don't care. They are wasting time on the House floor, 
ignoring real problems, and continuing to reward their Big Oil and Gas 
friends.
  At a time when everyone is feeling the squeeze of rising energy 
prices, it is just crazy to pretend that this bill actually helps 
anyone other than Big Oil and Gas. I urge my colleagues to vote against 
the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker.
  Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Langworthy), the sponsor of the bill and a valuable member of 
the Energy and Commerce Committee.
  Mr. LANGWORTHY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 
4690, the Reliable Federal Infrastructure Act, a commonsense measure 
that pushes back on the failed Green New Deal and puts reliability, 
affordability, and common sense back in the driver's seat.
  My bill repeals section 433 of the Energy Independence and Security 
Act of 2007, which would eliminate the use of onsite, fossil fuel-
generated electricity for Federal buildings by 2030.
  Without repeal, section 433 would put the United States on a 
dangerous path of dependence on intermittent energy resources, like 
wind and solar, supported by battery storage, and dependent on supply 
chains for critical minerals that often run through China.
  Under past Democratic administrations, Washington has aligned itself 
with the most extreme elements of the environmental movement, advancing 
impractical regulations that hurt hardworking Americans and sidelining 
the reliable, affordable systems that they depend on every single day.
  Mr. Speaker, we have all seen where this leads. My home State of New 
York has embraced this same approach, pursuing policies that target 
reliable fuels and the infrastructure that supports them. The result is 
higher costs, tighter energy supply, and real concerns about whether 
the system can hold up when the demand is at the absolute highest. It 
is exactly what we can't afford to replicate on the Federal level.
  Think about the facilities impacted by these zero-emissions building 
policies under section 433: VA hospitals, where our veterans receive 
lifesaving care, our military installations that underpin our national 
defense, research labs, and emergency operations centers.
  In western New York, home of the Bath and the Buffalo VA facilities, 
winters are very unforgiving. We cannot afford policies that risk 
leaving our veterans, who served this country, sitting in cold 
buildings because Washington decided that ideology matters more than 
reliability.
  These facilities cannot afford ``hope for the best.'' They need 
systems that work 24/7 in any condition, at any time. Yet, instead of 
prioritizing that reliability, Democrats continue down a path that asks 
taxpayers to pay more for less, pushing policies that check political 
boxes but fail to deliver in the real world.
  The Reliable Federal Infrastructure Act ends that. It restores common 
sense. It puts decisions back in the hands of real professionals, and 
it ensures that Federal buildings are powered by what works, not what 
is politically fashionable for the moment.

  Mr. Speaker, reliability matters. Affordability matters. Common sense 
matters. This bill restores all three. I urge my colleagues to support 
H.R. 4690.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Ohio (Mrs. Sykes).
  Mrs. SYKES. Mr. Speaker, I thank the illustrious gentleman from New 
Jersey for yielding some time today.
  I rise in opposition to H.R. 4690, the Reliable Federal 
Infrastructure Act.
  While Americans across the Nation are struggling to pay for gas, 
groceries,

[[Page H3059]]

housing, and healthcare, my colleagues across the aisle believe the 
most pressing matter for the American people is phasing out clean 
energy standards for new and renovated Federal buildings. These 
standards, which were passed with overwhelming bipartisan support 
during the Bush administration, are not what is creating the 
affordability crisis. In fact, in 2024, the Energy Department 
determined that section 433 of the Energy Independence and Security 
Act, the very section that this bill would eliminate, reduces 
infrastructure costs and saves taxpayer dollars.
  My colleagues across the aisle don't care about energy efficiency 
standards, and they don't care about my constituents, who are currently 
paying $4 a gallon for gas, as we speak, and I am from Ohio, not 
California. If they actually did care about my constituents or the 
American public, they would shift their focus toward the real reason 
that costs are going up: Trump's tariffs and Trump's war in Iran.
  Since the Strait of Hormuz closed, gas prices for Americans are up 
more than 30 percent. Democrats in Congress have tried to conduct 
oversight on this war, but Republicans have blocked us every step of 
the way. Now is not the time to burden taxpayers, including increasing 
death and injury to our brave servicemen and -women and burdening our 
taxpayers with higher infrastructure costs because of Trump's war.
  For this reason, at the appropriate time, I will offer a motion to 
recommit this bill back to committee. If the House rules permitted, I 
would have offered the motion with an important amendment to this bill. 
My amendment would prevent the bill from taking effect until the 
Secretary publishes a certification that the war in Iran has not 
increased energy and gas prices in the United States. Although, even if 
he were to do that, it would show us that the war in Iran is increasing 
gas prices in the United States, so I am pretty confident that you 
would not have accepted it either way.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my 
amendment in the Record immediately prior to the vote on the motion to 
recommit.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Ohio?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. SYKES. Mr. Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me in voting 
for the motion to recommit.

                              {time}  1400

  Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Goldman), my good friend and valued member of the Energy and 
Commerce Committee.
  Mr. GOLDMAN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, let me first express my 
condolences to the Scott family on the passing of our colleague, 
Congressman   David Scott.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Reliable Federal 
Infrastructure Act, led by my colleague Representative Langworthy.
  Nearly 20 years ago, Congress passed the Energy Independence and 
Security Act, which required Federal facilities to phase out fossil 
fuels with the goal of eliminating all onsite fossil fuel-generated 
energy by 2030.
  Over the years, those requirements were nowhere close to being met.
  Ignoring these mandates, the Biden administration expanded the scope 
of this law and doubled down on the 2030 deadline to remove all natural 
gas from Federal facilities. That deadline is now just 4 years away. 
Any attempt to meet these ridiculous requirements will lead to serious 
consequences.
  The Federal facilities subject to these green energy mandates are 
fundamental to our energy safety, security, and our economy. Military 
bases, hospitals, computing centers, national laboratories, and 
courthouses are among the critical facilities that would be put at risk 
of unreliable power.
  A report from the Department of Energy acknowledges that a full 
transition to green energy sources would be extraordinarily expensive 
and unworkable. The Government Accountability Office has also warned 
that imposing these mandates on military intelligence centers could not 
only threaten reliable power but also compromise our national security.
  These extreme green energy mandates would be costly, impractical, and 
dangerous. Without the Reliable Federal Infrastructure Act to repeal 
them, we are looking at higher energy costs passed on to taxpayers, 
unreliable power for critical systems, and a serious threat to military 
readiness.
  Don't just take my word for it. Energy companies from my home State 
of Texas have provided valuable insight and testimony into how 
unreliable energy would harm our Federal facilities.
  ONE Gas, a natural gas utility operating in my congressional 
district, supports the Reliable Federal Infrastructure Act. They 
understand that natural gas is essential to providing reliable and 
resilient power to our most critical infrastructure. Additionally, the 
American Gas Association, which represents many incredible Texas-based 
energy companies, also supports this legislation. The association has 
made clear that natural gas remains the most dependable energy resource 
available.
  Especially during emergencies and power outages, reliable natural gas 
is critical to keeping Federal facilities online. Removing that 
dependable energy source is shortsighted and puts these facilities at 
unnecessary risk.
  When our national security is on the line, we cannot simply hope that 
the wind blows and the Sun shines. We need reliable, secure, and 
affordable energy for our most critical facilities.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the Reliable 
Federal Infrastructure Act.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I will be brief. The gentleman from Texas knows that I 
respect him a great deal, but when he mentioned the American Gas 
Association, I couldn't help but say that the lists of the 
organizations that endorse this bill, that put out a press release 
announcing their support back in July, is like a who's who of the oil 
and gas industry: The American Gas Association, The American Public Gas 
Association, Independent Petroleum Association of America, American 
Petroleum Institute of America, The National Gas Supply Association, 
the list goes on, and it is no surprise. All of these organizations 
stand to benefit from the bill because they are just a giveaway to the 
fossil fuel industry.
  The Republicans like to pretend that these bills are in the best 
interest of everyday Americans, but if you look at this list that 
endorsed this bill, it is just the opposite. It is the oil and gas 
industry. That is who they are helping out with this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. 
Castor), the ranking member of our Energy Subcommittee.
  Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for 
yielding the time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 4690. This is a dirty and 
costly bill for Republicans to bring to the floor of the House on Earth 
Day. It would be funny if the cost of living was not so soul-crushingly 
expensive for families and small business owners back home.
  The policies of the Trump administration and this GOP Congress are 
really squeezing the folks who we represent, and the special interests 
have way too much power. Otherwise, we wouldn't be bringing a bill that 
keeps Federal buildings hooked up to expensive fossil fuels rather than 
help taxpayers save money, help lower electric bills, and help cut 
pollution.
  Let's face it, because of the policies of my Republican friends and 
the Trump administration, electric bills are way up, on average, over 
13 percent. Back home in my home State of Florida, the three largest 
investor-owned utilities have now gotten the largest rate increases in 
the history of the country. Trump's war in Iran has sent energy shocks 
not just across America, including households, but it is rippling 
throughout the economy with huge price spikes.
  Energy inflation is up over 10 percent. It is the highest it has been 
in 20 years, Mr. Speaker. Gas prices jumped over 21 percent in March. 
Our folks back home understand that very well. That is the biggest 
increase since records began in 1967.
  Americans are grappling with these wildly higher gas and diesel 
prices, and diesel is very expensive because that is how consumer goods 
are transported across the country with trucks running on diesel fuel. 
Diesel is up 38 percent.

[[Page H3060]]

That will lead to higher costs for consumer goods. Consumer goods are 
already expensive because of Trump's arbitrary and illegal tariffs. 
After the Supreme Court ruled that those were illegal, big companies 
are able to apply for refunds. Now, I haven't seen any bills here from 
the majority that would say those savings should go back into the 
pockets of hardworking Americans.

  This bill comes at a terrible time. It is not just Earth Day, but I 
noticed last week that Republicans here in the House were celebrating 
the big, ugly bill that not just yanked away healthcare from millions 
of hardworking Americans but remember what else that bill did? It 
rolled back many of the clean energy incentives that were included in 
the Inflation Reduction Act that help consumers save on their energy 
costs.
  They eliminated tax credits for cleaner, cheaper energy like solar 
and wind, electric vehicles, and home efficiency upgrades. They have 
also declared war on energy efficiency, and Ranking Member Pallone 
shined a light on this. Why do they keep catering to the big fossil 
fuel companies and stick it to hardworking Americans, making their 
lives more expensive and more difficult? Isn't life chaotic enough that 
you don't need Representatives in Washington, D.C., making life more 
expensive? That is what this bill does.
  The chaos has just come way too fast and way too hard for people who 
we represent back home. If you want to keep energy prices low, why in 
the heck is the Secretary of the Department of Energy illegally 
canceling energy projects that would help lower the cost of living and 
lower electric bills?
  Since taking office, Secretary Wright has illegally killed over 350 
new energy projects and threatened over 300 more with termination. Many 
of these projects were bringing new technologies online. They were 
strengthening our power grid against extreme weather and natural 
disasters.
  If you haven't noticed, on this Earth Day, a large portion of the 
United States is in a very serious drought. We are also experiencing 
the hottest year on record to date, and that is saying something 
because high temperatures continue to escalate.
  It is not just the temperatures. It is the higher costs that all of 
this throws off. Yes, it is the air-conditioning bills in Florida. It 
is all of the bills in these Federal buildings that you now want to 
make more expensive, increasing pollution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 2 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Florida.

                              {time}  1410

  Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
yielding more time because I want to vent the frustration that 
hardworking Americans are feeling, and sometimes it takes more than 5 
minutes.
  The damage Republicans are doing, the higher costs they are 
inflicting on people, starting wars of choice that are now rippling 
across the economy with pain and destruction, and just this crushing 
affordability squeeze, let me say on behalf of my neighbors that I want 
to claim mercy. Mercy. Enough of this.
  Stop doing the damage and making life so much more expensive. When is 
it going to stop? I don't want to have to wait until an election.
  Mr. Speaker, you would think that the pain and frustration that the 
majority is hearing from their businesses and neighbors back home would 
be able to overcome the fossil fuel lobby in Washington, D.C. If my 
Republican colleagues pass this bill, I guess they are going to 
demonstrate to folks that, no, they are going to side with the powerful 
special interests, the folks who are banking millions of dollars.
  Mr. Speaker, this is one thing I wanted to include. Do you know who 
is making out like bandits right now? It is oil and gas executives. 
According to The Wall Street Journal, Trump's war in Iran is yielding a 
windfall for some of America's top oil executives, particularly CEOs. 
They have now pocketed over $1.4 billion over the past few months.
  The Chevron chief executive sold $104 million worth of shares. 
ConocoPhillips' CEO netted about $54.3 million in share sales in March 
alone. The CEO of an oil services company sold about $33 million worth 
of stock the same month.
  Do they need more handouts and giveaways while Republicans stick it 
to hardworking Americans? I don't think so.
  People deserve better. They deserve better than what my colleagues on 
the other side of the aisle are giving them, and it is an insult for 
them to bring this pro-polluter legislation to the floor on Earth Day 
at a time when people are just trying to scrape by.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill and send it 
back to where it belongs: into the garbage bin.
  Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, I was in Congress in 2007 when the phaseouts targeted by 
this bill were signed into law. As I already said, President Bush 
signed section 433 of the EISA into law. At that time, it was 
considered a good thing for the Federal Government to try to lead the 
way and lower its reliance on fossil fuels. The Federal Government is 
the largest consumer of energy in the country, and it makes sense to 
try to figure out how to lower our energy consumption.
  In 2007, it made sense to harness the purchasing power of the Federal 
Government and support emerging efficiency and electrification 
industries in the United States so that we could become competitive. I 
don't think anything has changed. It still makes sense to try to lower 
our emissions.
  As we have seen over and over these last few years, today's 
Republicans have no interest in America's leadership in the energy 
transition. They are perfectly comfortable watching China bypass us 
with clean energy development, and they are content to keep the Federal 
Government tied to the energy resources of the past, especially when it 
means that their friends in the fossil fuels industry keep getting 
paid.
  Rather than recognizing the clean energy transition as an opportunity 
to lead the way and compete and overcome China, House Republicans are 
only interested in seeing us move backward.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to see this bill for what it is. It 
is just a way to guarantee that American taxpayers' money keeps flowing 
to the fossil fuel industry. That makes absolutely no sense today, 
given what we see in terms of prices and in terms of what is happening 
with competition from China and other countries that are moving toward 
clean energy.
  For all these reasons, I urge my colleagues to vote against this 
bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, in closing, I will point out that, in 2007, there was a 
vote in the House of Representatives to make sure that every Federal 
building built in 2030 is going to have only green energy and not have 
any type of fossil fuel energy whatsoever.
  In 2007, that was when they didn't realize that we had the oil. They 
knew it was there. They didn't know how to get the oil and gas in the 
Permian Basin. They didn't know about the shale revolution.
  They keep disparaging the people who produce cheap energy, but I will 
tell you that, in 2007, the United States and the European Union had 
the same-sized economy. Europe went down the path of tripling their 
energy prices that come from fossil fuels, which can't be made up for 
by wind and solar.
  We saw what happened with Winter Storm Fern, when New England made 
more energy out of burning garbage than it did out of wind and solar. 
Someone told me that I can't just pick the worst day of the year and 
say that wind and solar hurt that. Well, the worst day of the year or 
the coldest day of the year is the day that you need the most energy.
  All I am saying is that having affordable, dispatchable, sustainable 
energy is important to America. Remember what I said, that 25 years 
ago, or not quite 25 years ago, in 2007, Europe and the United States 
had the same-sized economy. We are now twice as big.
  Look at it from the inverse. What if we had made the same decisions 
they made? What if our economy today were

[[Page H3061]]

half the size that it was? Could you imagine the affordability crisis 
that the American people would be in if we had followed those policies? 
Could you imagine what unemployment would be if we had half the economy 
that we have today?
  It is reasonable to make that assumption if we were the same size as 
Europe--we are twice as big as they are--and if we hadn't grown like we 
have grown over the past several years.
  Just the practicality of this--we know it can't be done by 2030. 
Probably in 2007, 2030 looked like the year it could be done. It can't 
be done by 2030.
  Mr. Speaker, I think 435 of us here would look at it and say that it 
can't be done, so it shouldn't be on the books. Why put laws on the 
books that you can't comply with? That is what this is about.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote for H.R. 4690, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time for debate has expired.
  Pursuant to House Resolution 1189, the previous question is ordered 
on the bill, as amended.
  The question is on the engrossment and third reading of the bill.
  The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and was 
read the third time.


                           Motion to Recommit

  Mrs. SYKES. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the motion to 
recommit.
  The Clerk read as follows:
  Mrs. Skyes of Ohio moves to recommit the bill H.R. 4690 to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce.

  The material previously referred to by Mrs. Sykes is as follows:

       Mrs. Sykes moves to recommit the bill H.R. 4690 to the 
     Committee on Energy and Commerce with instructions to report 
     the same back to the House forthwith, with the following 
     amendment:

       Add at the end the following:

     SEC. 3. CERTIFICATION REQUIRED.

       This Act and the amendments made by this Act shall not take 
     effect until the date on which the Secretary of Energy 
     publishes a certification that the War in Iran has not 
     increased energy or gasoline prices in the United States.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 2(b) of rule XIX, the 
previous question is ordered on the motion to recommit.
  The question is on the motion to recommit.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the noes appeared to have it.
  Mrs. SYKES. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this question will be postponed.

                          ____________________