Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise in support of an amendment that was filed by Chairman Bingaman, Ranking Member Murkowski and myself that would help create jobs in communities across the country and help us transition to a clean energy economy. When Congress passed the Recovery Act last year, it recognized the challenges that many developers of alternative energy and other clean energy projects are facing in obtaining financing by expanding the Department of Energy's loan guarantee program. This program, known as the 1705 program, is helping developers to finance their projects, create jobs and spur the development of innovative clean energy technologies across the country, including New Hampshire. Our amendment would expand the 1705 program further to include loan guarantees for energy efficiency technologies, including making buildings energy efficient. And that is what I want to talk about today. I see enormous potential in reducing our Nation's energy consumption by simply investing in energy efficiency, especially through renovating existing buildings. Renovating our existing buildings is a tremendous opportunity for us to cut energy use, save money and create jobs. According to the Energy Information Administration, buildings account for more than 48 percent of total energy consumption in the United States. That is more than the transportation sector and more than the industrial sector.…”