John W. Olver: “last month at a hearing of the Subcommittee on Energy and Water of the Appropriations Committee we heard expert…”

“last month at a hearing of the Subcommittee on Energy and Water of the Appropriations Committee we heard expert, corroborated testimony that heating and cooling and the electrical fixtures and appliances in buildings in the industrial, commercial and residential sectors use nearly 50 percent of all the energy that is used in America today and thereby were responsible for nearly 50 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming. We were also told that we could reduce by one-half the energy used in new or renovated buildings using present knowledge and technology. One month ago, because of the powerful and insistent leadership of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and the critical cooperation of Chairmen Dingell and Markey and a host of others from both parties, this Congress passed and the President signed landmark energy legislation. That new law focused heavily on reducing the fossil fuel used in transportation by raising corporate average fleet efficiency standards to 35 miles per gallon by the year 2020 and mandating production of 36 billion gallons of biofuel, mostly ethanol, by the year 2020. But equally important were some provisions relating to buildings, what I have said already, which use nearly 50 percent of all the energy used in America today.”