Dave Camp: “this bill is a missed opportunity. In Michigan, where the average price of gas is 12 cents higher than the national…”

“this bill is a missed opportunity. In Michigan, where the average price of gas is 12 cents higher than the national average, energy prices are a sore subject. Gas prices are too high, the U.S. is too dependent on foreign oil, and yet the majority party refuses to allow expanding our domestic supply of energy sources. This bill misses the mark. H.R. 2776 is certainly creative in how it spends taxpayer dollars. Under this legislation, $6 billion will be given away to States for just about any project that has the word ``energy'' in it. Republicans in the Ways and Means Committee debated this new spending scheme at length during the bill's markup. During that debate, we found out that States could use taxpayer money to buy hybrid Lexuses for State employees, construct indoor rainforests, distribute complimentary copies of Al Gore's ``An Inconvenient Truth'' in every classroom, or hand out energy-efficient light bulbs. In my view, the new tax credit bond programs this legislation creates will fail to do anything to secure our Nation's energy independence because there is no requirement that they reduce greenhouse gases or increase energy production. The bill, however, does have a few bright spots. It includes measures I have supported on plug-in vehicles, solar energy and energy-efficient programs for appliances and homes. I believe these initiatives have the potential to have significant impact on energy conservation.”