[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 2944]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         ENERGY EFFICIENT HOMES

  (Ms. BEAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. BEAN. Madam Speaker, today I rise to speak about the Energy Star 
Homes Act. Across my district my constituents have told me about the 
challenges they face in paying for the rising cost of heating their 
homes. In response to those concerns, I have introduced this 
legislation to provide an incentive to help Americans deal with this 
increasing burden.
  Under the Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star Program, 
homes are independently verified to be measurably more energy efficient 
than average houses. Americans who meet the guidelines of this program 
should have access to a tax credit to make the process of building an 
energy-efficient home more affordable.
  My legislation will help to encourage Americans to save money and to 
save energy. By lowering demand for fossil fuels, we can also decrease 
pollution and our dependency on foreign sources of energy. I encourage 
my colleagues in the House to cosponsor this important legislation.

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