Barney Frank: “I am glad to join the gentleman from North Carolina in repudiating that simplistic and inaccurate misstatement. As the…”

“I am glad to join the gentleman from North Carolina in repudiating that simplistic and inaccurate misstatement. As the gentleman said, without a Federal Government investment, we cannot have a good energy policy. Obviously if you think the Federal Government is just a problem, you do not want it to go around investing, presumably spreading problems. He is right. The free market has a role to play, but the government has an indispensable role. Those who would denigrate government and those who would think that you could somehow do away with it are reminded here, and I am glad to see that we have this agreement, this is a bill to expand the role of the Federal Government in dealing with our energy problem.”