Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, it is going to take a lot more engineers to get this place operating a lot better, but this was a step. Mr. Whitfield wasn't here when I was bragging on him, Mr. Speaker. You have got that practical knowledge from his year of experience in construction and that engineering background. But here is the other thing. There is a big debate about carbon emissions. I happen to be someone who thinks it is a very, very serious problem. But if we--even under the Waxman-Markey bill, which passed the House and then did not pass the Senate, with a goal of reduction of 80 percent of carbon emissions by 2050, 40 percent were going to be achieved through energy efficiency. So this is a really big deal. There are questions about a lot of things on energy policy, but where we do have this common ground with significant leadership on both sides of the aisle, that energy efficiency is an approach that really makes sense, then we can and should do it. So I am very grateful to all concerned in pulling together to take the first really solid step towards embracing an energy efficiency agenda as part of an all-of-the- above strategy on energy. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Himes).”