I think this hearing should be enlightening and help us to understand what additional steps we can take to facilitate energy production from all sources.

I appreciate that this is a very tricky balance.

I guess I am hearing a fairly consistent message from folks that there really is no logical reason for not having uniform interconnection standards across the country.

Hopefully now with a greater appreciation of distributed generation and the urgent need to bring clean energy alternatives online, we will be able to incorporate the policies we need in the comprehensive energy bill that the committee is…

S. 967, which was introduced by Senator Bingaman on May 4, 2009, would direct the Secretary of Energy to develop a plan to include refined petroleum products in the SPR.

I think he is extremely well qualified for this position for which the President has chosen him.

Yesterday, the President spoke at the National Academy of Sciences and recognized our country's proud heritage of scientific discovery and innovation that is embodied in that institution.

The purpose of today's hearing is to look at the latest draft of the proposal that Senator Murkowski and I have put together to improve the availability of financing for deployment of clean energy and energy efficiency technologies.

The key question that we are here to discuss today is will those technologies see their commercial fruition here in the United States as well.

I am writing in strong support of President Obama's nomination of Mr. Michael L. Connor to become the next Commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

I hope the committee agrees. I hope you all join me in supporting her confirmation.

Both bills would create a Federal energy efficiency resource standard that would be independent of the Renewable Electricity Standard.