[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Page 4319]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   CONGRATULATING X PRIZE FOUNDATION

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now 
proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 486.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 486) congratulating the X PRIZE 
     Foundation for their efforts to inspire a new generation of 
     viable, super-efficient vehicles that could help break the 
     addiction of the United States to oil and stem the effects of 
     climate change through the Automotive X PRIZE competition.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I am pleased to submit today, on behalf 
of Senator Lugar, Senator Stabenow, Senator Domenici and others, a 
resolution recognizing an exciting private-sector effort to encourage 
breakthrough technology in fuel economy. This effort, patterned on the 
Ansari X-prize competition that led to the development of spacecraft 
that is likely to make commercial space travel a reality, seeks to 
apply the same competitive spirit among the best minds in the United 
States to the pernicious problem of our outsized dependence on foreign 
oil.
  The competition will launch at the upcoming New York Auto Show and 
sets an ambitious goal for claiming the prize; the winning entrant must 
produce a commercially viable vehicle that gets at least 100 miles per 
gallon fuel efficiency over a series of road trials meant to simulate 
real world driving conditions. It should be an exciting competition, 
and it is certainly a worthy goal. I wish them the best of luck and 
look forward to seeing the innovations they inspire.
  Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution and preamble be 
agreed to, en bloc, and the motions to reconsider be laid on the table, 
and any statements be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 486) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 486

       Whereas the United States is heavily dependent on foreign 
     sources of oil that are concentrated in tumultuous countries 
     and regions;
       Whereas the national security and economic prosperity of 
     the United States demand that the United States moves toward 
     a sustainable energy future;
       Whereas the ability of foreign governments to assert great 
     control over oil production allows unfriendly regimes to use 
     energy exports as leverage against the United States and 
     allies of the United States;
       Whereas continued reliance on the use of greenhouse gas 
     intensive-fuel may have significant economic and political 
     impacts as the effects of global climate change take hold;
       Whereas the transportation sector is heavily dependent on 
     oil, which makes the people of the United States vulnerable 
     to oil price fluctuation and is a major source of greenhouse 
     gas emissions;
       Whereas many promising technologies exist that could lead 
     to a breakthrough vehicle that will meet the need for 
     sustainable transportation;
       Whereas breakthroughs are often achieved by the free market 
     fueling the entrepreneurial spirit of inventors and 
     investors;
       Whereas the Automotive X PRIZE is a private, independent, 
     technology-neutral competition being developed by the X PRIZE 
     Foundation to inspire a new generation of viable, super-
     efficient vehicles that could help break the addiction of the 
     United States to oil and stem the effects of climate change; 
     and
       Whereas the Automotive X PRIZE will award a multi-million 
     dollar purse to teams that can design, build, and demonstrate 
     production-capable vehicles that achieve 100 miles per gallon 
     of fuel or an equivalent: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that the 
     Senate--
       (1) commends the leadership of the X PRIZE Foundation for 
     their efforts to inspire a new generation of viable, super-
     efficient vehicles that could help break the addiction of the 
     United States to oil and stem the effects of climate change 
     through the Automotive X PRIZE competition;
       (2) congratulates the X PRIZE Foundation on the innovation 
     and vision of the Foundation to bring together some of the 
     finest minds in government, nongovernment, institutions of 
     higher education, and industry to advise and participate in 
     the Automotive X PRIZE competition; and
       (3) applauds the ongoing commitment of the X PRIZE 
     Foundation for encouraging solutions to some of greatest 
     challenges facing humanity, as exemplified in the Automotive 
     X PRIZE.

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