Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I would like to begin by thanking the chairman of the full committee for his extraordinary work and for the chairman of the subcommittee for this auspicious opportunity. I have been listening to the arguments recently that we have had on the floor regarding the most recent amendments between fossil fuels and renewables, and I am hoping to strike a sweet spot here. I am not picking on fossil fuels, and I am going to talk about a renewable that I think everybody has an affinity for and an agreement with. This amendment simply increases funding for hydroelectric through the EERE by $15 million and decreases funding to the bureaucracy. There is no increase to the budget. This amendment just increases the appropriation for the Office of Energy and Efficiency and Renewable Energy because hydropower is available in every region of the country; 2,200 hydropower plants provide America's most abundant source of clean, renewable electricity. I would say it is the first renewable. It accounts for 67 percent of domestic renewable generation and, clearly, 7 percent of total electricity generation. By 2025, hydropower would create almost a million and a half new, good, high-paying jobs. It can be implemented in rivers, harbors, coastal areas, et cetera, to capture energy from currents and tides. Harnessing this energy will create a truly and absolutely renewable and green source of energy without any emissions and with little fanfare to everybody involved.…”