    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 51 (Monday, December 24, 2007)]
    [Pages 1612-1614]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Remarks on Signing the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007

    December 19, 2007

        Thank you all. Please be seated. Mr. Secretary, thank you for that
    introduction. We're all pleased to be here at the Department of Energy.
    I particularly want to thank the employees here for their daily efforts
    to help our country meet its energy needs. Thanks for your hard work.
    Sam, thank you for your leadership.
        As Sam mentioned, I firmly believe this country needs to have a
    comprehensive energy strategy, and I appreciate the Members of Congress
    for understanding that as well. Two years ago, I was pleased to stand
    with Members--many of whom are here--to sign a bill that was the first
    major energy security legislation in more than a decade. At the time, I
    recognized that we needed to go even further. And so in my State of the
    Union, I proposed an aggressive plan to reduce oil consumption of
    gasoline by 20 percent over 10 years.
        Today we make a major step with the Energy Independence and Security
    Act. We make a major step toward reducing our dependence on oil,
    confronting global climate

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    change, expanding the production of renewable fuels, and giving future
    generations of our country a nation that is stronger, cleaner, and more
    secure.
        I do welcome members of the Cabinet who've joined us. I particularly
    want to thank the Speaker and the leader. I appreciate your leadership
    on this important issue. Speaker Pelosi is here with Congressman Steny
    Hoyer, House majority leader. Welcome, Mr. Leader. Leader Reid has
    brought Members of the Senate with him: Senator Inouye, Senator
    Bingaman, Senator Stevens--I think that's Senator Domenici there in
    disguise with a--[laughter]. Looking pretty handsome, isn't he? I
    appreciate Congressman Dingell and Congressman Markey, Congressman
    Gordon. These are all leaders on their respective committees that helped
    bring this bill to my desk. I also want to welcome all the other Members
    of Congress who have joined us.
        One of the most serious long-term challenges facing our country is
    dependence on oil, especially oil from foreign lands. It's a serious
    challenge. And Members of Congress up here understand the challenge, and
    so do I. Because this dependence harms us economically through high and
    volatile prices at the gas pump, dependence creates pollution and
    contributes to greenhouse gas admissions. It threatens our national
    security by making us vulnerable to hostile regimes in unstable regions
    of the world. It makes us vulnerable to terrorists who might attack oil
    infrastructure.
        The legislation I am signing today will address our vulnerabilities
    and our dependence in two important ways. First, it will increase the
    supply of alternative fuel sources. I proposed an alternative fuel
    standard earlier this year. This standard would require fuel producers
    to include a certain amount of alternative fuels in their products. This
    standard would create new markets for foreign products used to produce
    these fuels. This standard would increase our energy security by making
    us less vulnerable to instability--to the instability of oil prices on
    the world market.
        The bill I sign today takes a significant step because it will
    require fuel producers to use at least 36 billion gallons of biofuel in
    2022. This is nearly a fivefold increase over current levels. It will
    help us diversify our energy supplies and reduce our dependence on oil.
    It's an important part of this legislation, and I thank the Members of
    Congress for your wisdom.
        Second, the legislation also--will also reduce our demand for oil by
    increasing fuel economy standards. Last January, I called for the first
    statutory increase in fuel economy standards for automobiles since they
    were enacted in 1975. The bill I'm about to sign delivers on that
    request. It specifies a national standard of 35 miles per gallon by
    2020, which will increase fuel economy standards by 40 percent and save
    billions of gallons of fuel. This bill also includes an important reform
    that I believe is essential to making sure that we realize this
    strategy. It allows the Department of Transportation to issue what are
    known as ``attribute-based standards,'' which will assure that increased
    fuel efficiency does not come at the expense of automobile safety. This
    is an important part of this bill, and again, I thank the Members for
    taking the lead.
        The bill also includes revisions to improve energy efficiency in
    lighting and appliances. It adopts elements of the Executive order I
    signed requiring Federal Agencies to lead by example in efficiency and
    renewable energy use.
        Taken together, all these measures will help us improve our
    environment. It is estimated that these initiatives could reduce
    projected CO<INF>2</INF> emissions by billions of metric tons. The U.N.
    climate change meeting in Bali last week--our Nation promised to pursue
    new, quantifiable actions to reduce carbon emissions. Today we're doing
    just that. The legislation I'm signing today will lead to some of the
    largest CO<INF>2</INF> emission cuts in our Nation's history.
        The legislation I'm about to sign should say to the American people
    that we can find common ground on critical issues. And there's more we
    can accomplish together. New technologies will bring about a new era of
    energy. So I appreciate the fact that Congress--in the omnibus spending
    bill that I'm going to sign later on--recognizes that new technologies
    will help usher in a better quality of life for our citizens. And so
    we're going

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    to spend money on new research for alternative feedstocks for ethanol. I
    mean, we understand the hog growers are getting nervous because the
    price of corn is up. But we also believe strongly that research will
    enable us to use wood chips and switch grass and biomass to be able to
    develop the ethanol necessary to help us realize the vision outlined in
    this bill.

        I appreciate very much the fact that we're going to fund additional
    research on new battery technologies to power plug-in hybrids. We're
    spending money on innovative ways to capture solar power. We're making--
    providing incentives for nuclear energy. If we're serious about making
    sure we grow our economy and deal with greenhouse gases, we have got to
    expand nuclear power.

        It is going to take time to transition to this new era. And we're
    still going to need hydrocarbons. And I hope the Congress will continue
    to open access to domestic energy sources--certain parts of the Outer
    Continental Shelf in ANWR. And to protect us against disruptions in our
    oil supply, I ask Congress to double the current capacity of the
    Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

        With these steps--particularly in the bill I'm about to sign--we're
    going to help American consumers a lot. We'll help them by diversifying
    our supplies, which will help lower energy prices. We'll strengthen our
    security by helping to break our dependence on foreign oil. We'll do our
    duty to future generations by addressing climate change.

        And so I thank the Members of Congress. I appreciate the fact that
    we've worked together, that we can show what's possible in addressing
    the big issues facing our Nation. This is a good bill, and I'm pleased
    to sign it.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:25 a.m. at the Department of Energy.
    H.R. 6, approved December 19, was assigned Public Law No. 110-140.