Keith Ellison: “Today, the House considered H.R. 5351 which would end unnecessary subsidies to big oil companies and invest in clean…”

“Today, the House considered H.R. 5351 which would end unnecessary subsidies to big oil companies and invest in clean, renewable energy and energy efficiency. It is similar to the House bill passed, the Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act passed as part of a bipartisan energy package in August 2007. And I just want Americans to know that when you sent this class, this 110th Congress, this freshman class here to Washington, you expected that we would take a step in favor of our energy future. And I want you to know that we are doing that. We are stepping into that energy future, putting innovation, putting incentives into the hands of people who are going to make the difference, and we are putting the best interests of the American people forward. As I think about our energy future, I think about it every time I walk up to the pump... I remember back in 2001 when I would be able to put that gas pump in the tank, and I think I was paying somewhere around $1.50 a gallon. Well, that is not so today. You and I both, whether you are in Florida or Minnesota, or whether you are in California or Arizona, you are probably paying somewhere north of $3, somewhere close to $3. And that is double what I remember paying.”