Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to this particular amendment. I say to the gentleman: For the company in your district, the regulations include the opportunity for waiver. And I would hope that the company in your district would be able to work that out. The amendment that the gentleman proposes seeks to prohibit the Department of Energy from implementing testing procedures for the energy efficiency standards set for heat pumps and air-conditioners. I, as the consumer, whether I am buying a heat pump, a furnace, a refrigerator--and every American who now shops looks for those--that is like the sticker. That is what you really look for, and you want to know how much you are going to pay every year for what that product will cost you for energy. And the better product you have, and you are able to put that on a label and it is verified by the Department of Energy, that helps sales. The original standards that were created were supported and have been supported by the Edison Electric Institute, the association which represents all investor-owned utilities. The amendment, by the way, is opposed by the Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute, which represents manufacturers of HVAC systems that employ over 1.3 million Americans. And industry opposes the amendment, environmentalists oppose it, because it would cost an average--a cumulative cost to Americans of $12.2 billion over 30 years. So there is a lot of opposition to this.…”