[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 14]
[House]
[Pages 19425-19426]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  PASSING A COMPREHENSIVE ENERGY BILL

  (Mr. WELCH of Vermont asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WELCH of Vermont. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the House of 
Representatives passed a comprehensive energy bill, regrettably with 
almost undivided Republican opposition. That was disappointing because 
we had a chance to work together. In fact, this bill incorporated two 
things--one, a recognition that we need to continue getting the supply 
of oil to make it from here to there, but second, we needed a 
sustainable revenue source to invest in R&D and to invest in 
implementing alternative energy projects. The energy plan of the 
Republicans, cooked up by Vice President Cheney in secret, has been 
very good for the American oil companies, not for the American 
consumers.
  So far this year, oil companies in a down economy have raked in $44 
billion in profits. That's seven times the amount of profits Big Oil 
brought in when President Bush was first sworn into office.
  What has the energy plan done that the President pursues or that our 
colleagues on the other side pursue? $4 gasoline. It's costing $2,500 
more to heat your homes.

[[Page 19426]]

  Mr. President, it's time for us to work together and to get our 
colleagues in the Senate to pass that bill.

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