Political Quotes

“What I, and in a few moments the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Fox], are attempting to do is something that is extremely important and that is to transfer $50 million into the low-income weatherization assistance program. I have proposed taking money from the Fossil Energy Research Fund. The gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Fox] has another fund. But what is most important is that we replenish the fund that has been severely cut. Without this amendment, the bill provides for only half of the weatherization funds that were provided for last year. That is a cut of more than $100 million. What I am attempting to do, and what the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Fox] is attempting to do, is to restore $50 million to that fund. Mr. Chairman, the low-income weatherization assistance program is an enormously sensible and cost-effective partnership between the Federal Government and local and State governments. What weatherization does in Vermont, and in every state in America, is prevent the waste of energy, whether that energy is oil, gas, electric, or whatever. It is enormously inefficient for low-income people all over this country to waste fuel because their homes or apartments lack adequate insulation, windows, or efficient heating or cooling systems. The Department of Energy reports that this program has a favorable benefit-cost ratio of 1 to 1.61. That is, for every $1 we invest in weatherization, we get $1.61 in energy savings and economic benefits.”