Chellie Pingree: “I thank the ranking member for yielding, and thank you to our ranking member and the chair for the good work that they…”

“I thank the ranking member for yielding, and thank you to our ranking member and the chair for the good work that they have done on this bill. Mr. Chairman, I rise to add my voice to those in support of water power and the Bonamici-Perry-Pingree amendment. This amendment provides a modest increase in funding for the Department of Energy's Water Power Program, but that modest increase will make a big difference in developing new sources of clean energy, tidal power, and hydropower from all across the country. I have seen this program work firsthand in the State of Maine. Ocean Renewable Power Company has taken advantage of this program and leveraged these modest investments into a company that has created or retained over a hundred jobs in every part of our State and directly pumped over $25 million into our economy. Tidal and river power projects create jobs in areas where they are needed most, in Eastport, Maine, for example, or in rural villages in Alaska. These projects lower energy prices and create jobs. For some remote communities, creating these new forms of clean energy is a matter of survival. These projects are examples of American technology and know-how at work. By creating homegrown solutions to our energy needs, we are investing in our communities and developing technology that the rest of the world wants to buy from us. Most importantly of all, this allows us to keep the money we spend on energy right here in America.…”