Fred Upton

I urge my colleagues again to support this bill, on a bipartisan basis, and I yield back the balance of my time.

I can confidently say that this committee's efforts to oversee the nation's power sector must remain ongoing.

This committee has had an extensive history overseeing the nation's power sector.

I am excited to launch a new set of Energy and Commerce hearings today entitled Powering America series.

I am certainly pleased to be here today to kick off this first of many hearings focused on America's electricity system.

This series of hearings will take a comprehensive look at recent developments and challenges in the way we generate, transmit, and consume electricity in the United States.

I can confidently say, that this Committee's efforts to oversee the nation's power sector must remain ongoing as the ever-changing nature of the U.S. electricity system guarantees that there will always be new challenges to solve and new…

This technology is going to save a lot of lives. It is going to save a lot of accidents.

The legislation before us today takes important strides toward modernizing our Nation's energy infrastructure.

Today the subcommittee begins what I expect will be a thoughtful and deliberative process to examine legislation addressing pipeline and hydropower infrastructure modernization.

Thank you for your help on 21st Century Cures.

Consumers should be driving energy markets from the bottom up, rather than having the Federal Government driving it from the top down.

I look forward to working with our colleagues on the Ways and Means Committee to deliver for the American people.

Today's hearing gives us an opportunity to take a big picture look at the effects of decades of Federal energy-tax policy on energy markets, prices, and most importantly, consumers.

I'm hopeful that our discussion today will help us develop a deeper understanding of the costs and benefits of driving energy policy through the tax code.

The White House did give the FDA permission to move forward with hiring on the select user fee positions needed to implement Cures.

Diana DeGette and I sent a letter a couple weeks ago to OMB asking about the federal hiring freeze that the President announced as it relates to the implementation of 21st Century Cures.

If we don't get it done by summer or show that we have made progress by July and August, certainly by September, that you would actually have to RIF 70 percent of the staff, is quite alarming

I am pleased that the user fee agreements considering now will continue to build upon the success of the Breakthrough Therapy program.

Today's hearing--'Modernizing Energy Infrastructure: Challenges and Opportunities to Expanding Hydropower Generation'--continues this committee's efforts to examine what we need to do to keep our infrastructure the best in the world.

The regulatory environment for hydropower has become increasingly challenging.

Our hydropower fleet is aging. Yes, it is. Hydropower plants are among the oldest power plants in the U.S.

Today's hearing, 'Modernizing Energy Infrastructure: Challenges and Opportunities to Expanding Hydropower Generation,' continues this committee's efforts to examine what we need to do to keep our infrastructure the very best in the world.

I look forward to working with all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to really see this happen in this Congress.

Today's hearing entitled 'Modernizing Energy and Electricity Delivery Systems: Challenges and Opportunities to Promote Infrastructure Improvement and Expansion' marks the beginning of the subcommittee's push this Congress to promote the…