[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 19]
[House]
[Page 25684]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     ENERGY-EFFICIENCY RETROFITTING

  (Mr. TONKO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. TONKO. Madam Speaker, this May at a meeting of the Middle Class 
Task Force, Vice President Biden asked White House staff to develop a 
proposal that would grow clean-job opportunities and boost energy 
savings by retrofitting homes for energy efficiency.
  In response, CEQ facilitated a broad interagency process to develop 
recommendations.
  I commend those recently released recommendations and the leadership 
of our White House on energy policy. Through the Recovery Act's 
unprecedented investments in energy efficiency, we are making it easier 
for American families to retrofit their homes, helping them save money.
  Existing techniques and technologies in energy-efficiency 
retrofitting can reduce energy use by up to 40 percent per home and 
lower total associated greenhouse gas emissions by up to 160 million 
metric tons annually. Retrofitting existing homes also has the 
potential to cut home energy bills by $21 billion annually.
  We must continue to drill and mine energy efficiency as our fuel of 
choice, like we drill for oil and mine for coal.

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