Shelley Berkley: “now is the time to create an energy plan to wean this country from its reliance on foreign oil and to harness renewable…”

“now is the time to create an energy plan to wean this country from its reliance on foreign oil and to harness renewable energy sources. It is not the time to line the pockets of the special interests. This Congress should be developing a long-term energy policy that will make this Nation energy independent by utilizing 21st-century technology, not propping up obsolete energy sources guaranteed to continue this Nation's reliance on the oil, gas, and nuclear industries. We should be putting our resources into the research and development of renewable energy, harness the sun, wind, geothermal. At a time when oil companies are reaping record profits, the Republican energy bill will give 93 percent of the subsidies in this bill to the oil, gas, and nuclear industries and chump change for research and development of renewable energy. It boggles my mind that at a time of record prices for gasoline, we are doing absolutely nothing in this bill to reduce gas prices. This debacle of a Republican bill will actually increase gas prices by 3 cents on the gallon. I am appalled that we would spend one cent more on nuclear energy when we have no solution to the nuclear waste problem. We continue to lavish billions of dollars on the nuclear industry when we have no safe way to store the waste. I hope that we defeat this ridiculous piece of legislation. ____________________”