María Elvira Salazar: “at the outset of my statement on this energy legislation, I want to provide my laudatory comments to the chairman of the…”

“at the outset of my statement on this energy legislation, I want to provide my laudatory comments to the chairman of the committee, Senator Domenici, and the ranking member, Jeff Bingaman, for their great work in pulling together what is a great piece of legislation. I also want to say thank you to Alex Flint, Lisa Epifani, Sam Fowler, and Bob Simon for their good work as staff members on the committee. I believe the Energy legislation is a very good first step, and I think the bipartisan nature in which that committee considered the legislation is a good template for other work this Senate Chamber engages in. I believe the keystones of energy conservation, renewable energy, new technologies, and balanced development are all very important parts of this legislation. It is my hope this Senate and the House of Representatives are able to deliver energy legislation to the President for his signature in the near future. I will speak more broadly about the Energy bill and its importance to America because I do think it is one of the two most important things we are working on on behalf of our Nation today. I believe the energy challenge we face in America and the health care challenge that is bankrupting America's families and businesses are the two most important things we could be working on as a Senate.…”