Bill Clinton: “I rise to speak on the energy bill. I am pleased to say that I support this bill. The bill includes provisions that will…”

“I rise to speak on the energy bill. I am pleased to say that I support this bill. The bill includes provisions that will help develop new energy sources and technologies, encourage conservation and increased energy efficiency, improve the reliability of our electricity system, and address the challenge of climate change. I think that it should go further in some respects--particularly in making us less dependent on foreign oil. But overall, it represents a step in the right direction. First, I want to discuss several provisions that I think are extremely important in helping us develop new energy sources and technologies. It is true that in the coming decades we will continue to rely heavily on traditional energy resources such as fossil fuels to heat and light our homes and power our cars. But there are new sources of energy and new energy technologies that offer great potential to help us meet many of these needs. We need to move beyond fossil fuels, and that goal must be a top priority of our national energy policy. Hydrogen fuels cells are clearly one of the energy technologies that offer great promise. I am extremely pleased that the bill includes the major provisions of the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Act of 2005 that I have worked on for years with Senator Dorgan. This ambitious legislation authorizes significant funding for hydrogen research and development and sets aggressive goals for the deployment of hydrogen technologies.…”