Chris Van Hollen: “Mr. Speaker, it was just about a year ago that the President of the United States came before this Congress and told the…”

“Mr. Speaker, it was just about a year ago that the President of the United States came before this Congress and told the country that America is addicted to oil. He was right then and many of us were pleased to hear him acknowledge that very real fact. However, even as we all acknowledge the seriousness of the energy challenge we face as a Nation, the President and the last Congress failed to actually do something about it. We heard great words, but didn't see good deeds. In fact, rather than invest adequately in renewable energy and energy efficiency, we took the opposite approach. We gave greater breaks in taxes to the oil and gas industry even as prices at the pump went up and profits soared. That policy only served to feed the addiction to oil, not break that addiction. It made us more dependent, not less dependent on oil and gas and the volatile regions of the world that control the greatest reserves. This is a time to change direction, to set a new course on energy policy, to say to the country: We're not just talking rhetoric. We mean what we say.”