Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, with all the respect I have for Congressman Burgess, I oppose this damaging rider which would block the Department of Energy from implementing or enforcing commonsense energy efficiency standards for lightbulbs. This rider was a bad idea when it was first offered 7 years ago, and it is even more unsupportable now. Why do I say that? Because every claim made by proponents of the rider have been proven wrong. Number one, we have been told, including by Dr. Burgess, that the energy efficiency standards would ban incandescent lightbulbs. That is simply false. You can go to the store today and see shelves of modern energy efficient incandescent lightbulbs that meet the standard, and they are the same as the old bulbs except they last longer, use less electricity, and save consumers money. Then we heard for years that the energy efficiency standards restrict consumer choice. {time} 2345 If you have shopped for lightbulbs lately, which I have, you know that isn't true. In fact, modern incandescent bulbs, compact fluorescent lightbulbs, and LEDs of every shape, size, and color are now available. Consumers have never had more choice, and the efficiency standard spurred innovation that dramatically expanded options for consumers. I am amazed how many shelves lightbulbs now occupy in the stores. Critics of the efficiency standards claim that they would cost consumers money. In fact, the opposite is true.…”