Al Franken: “Thank you, Mr. President. I rise today to talk about the importance of updating our Nation's energy policy. I thank…”

“Thank you, Mr. President. I rise today to talk about the importance of updating our Nation's energy policy. I thank Chairwoman Murkowski, Ranking Member Cantwell, and their staffs for their hard work in crafting a bipartisan energy bill. Congress hasn't passed a comprehensive energy bill since 2007, and a lot has changed in the energy sector since then. We have seen a transformation in renewable energy. Electricity generation from wind power has grown by more than 400 percent. Wind energy now supplies electricity for 20 million Americans. The growth of solar energy is equally impressive. In its early days, solar power was known for powering satellites and space stations. Now we are seeing residential and utility-scale solar power becoming important components of the grid. Since the passage of the last Energy bill in 2007, our solar generation capacity has increased more than 2,000 percent. During that time, the cost of solar energy has dropped more than 60 percent. We have to build on these trends and reorient our energy sector toward a clean energy future. Comprehensive energy legislation needs to promote innovation, deploy clean energy technology, and create good-paying jobs. The bipartisan Energy bill we are currently debating is an important step forward. It improves our Nation's energy efficiency through commonsense measures, such as updating building codes. It invests in energy storage, which will turn intermittent renewable energy into baseload power.…”