Frank Pallone: “I was in Congress in 2007 when the phaseouts targeted by this bill were signed into law. As I already said, President…”

“I was in Congress in 2007 when the phaseouts targeted by this bill were signed into law. As I already said, President Bush signed section 433 of the EISA into law. At that time, it was considered a good thing for the Federal Government to try to lead the way and lower its reliance on fossil fuels. The Federal Government is the largest consumer of energy in the country, and it makes sense to try to figure out how to lower our energy consumption. In 2007, it made sense to harness the purchasing power of the Federal Government and support emerging efficiency and electrification industries in the United States so that we could become competitive. I don't think anything has changed. It still makes sense to try to lower our emissions. As we have seen over and over these last few years, today's Republicans have no interest in America's leadership in the energy transition. They are perfectly comfortable watching China bypass us with clean energy development, and they are content to keep the Federal Government tied to the energy resources of the past, especially when it means that their friends in the fossil fuels industry keep getting paid. Rather than recognizing the clean energy transition as an opportunity to lead the way and compete and overcome China, House Republicans are only interested in seeing us move backward. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to see this bill for what it is.…”