Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I urge that Members oppose this amendment that would impose a Federal mandate on retail electricity and natural gas suppliers to reduce a certain percentage of electricity or natural gas that their customers use annually. We have considered this before. We have seen it. It has been under consideration for about a decade. Most recently, the energy committee rejected this same proposal as we were moving forward on this bipartisan Energy bill. A national mandate like this depends on the behavior of end-use customers. The concern that you take a one-size-fits-all policy that refuses to recognize very real regional differences that are in play out there with energy use is problematic. As the Senator from Minnesota said, 25 States already have this in place, but what we do by imposing a new national mandate is we upend those existing State programs. We have a good, bipartisan efficiency measure contained in this. That is why a Federal EERS has not worked before. Now is not the right time to move forward with it. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the votes in this series be 10 minutes in length so we can move through the amendments we have in front of us. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? Without objection, it is so ordered. All time has expired. The question occurs on agreeing to the amendment. Mr. McCONNELL. I ask for the yeas and nays. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second? There appears to be a sufficient second.…”