Political Quotes

“I thank my friend, Chairman Holden, for yielding me the time. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4785, the Rural Energy Savings Program Act. Mr. Chairman, the Rural Energy Savings Program, or Rural Star, as it is popularly called, is an important piece of the Make It in America agenda. It is a program that will create jobs and help save families money on their energy bills. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis once called our 50 States ``laboratories of democracy.'' And that is certainly the case with this homegrown, American-owned idea. The rural electric co-ops in South Carolina brought this idea to my attention late last year. And I worked with them and my colleague Congressman John Spratt to craft legislation that takes the South Carolina model nationwide. I am very proud that South Carolina is providing significant leadership for our economic recovery with this innovative approach to job creation and energy savings. The concept is very simple: low-cost home improvement loans for energy-efficient upgrades, sealing, insulation, HVAC systems, heat pumps, and other structural improvements. Those low- cost loans are paid back on customers' electricity bills, with the energy savings covering the cost of the loan. {time} 1240 When the term of the loan expires, most people will be saving hundreds of dollars annually on their monthly utility bills.…”