Peter Welch: “I thank the gentleman for his excellent work. Today is a very good day in Congress and in our country as we send to the…”

“I thank the gentleman for his excellent work. Today is a very good day in Congress and in our country as we send to the President's desk bipartisan legislation that will: one, lower energy bills for families and businesses; two, create good jobs in manufacturing American-made energy efficiency products; and, three, improve our environment by reducing carbon emissions. I am hopeful that the common ground we have found in this bill sets the stage for further cooperation by both parties and by both Chambers in addressing many of the challenges facing our country. I want to thank Chairman Upton and Chairman Whitfield, and I want to thank Ranking Member Pallone and Ranking Member Rush for working with us to advance this important legislation. Thank you, especially, Representative McKinley, for partnering with me this term and last on this issue. Your background as an engineer and as a small business owner has provided much-needed expertise to our committee, and I am grateful to you for your partnership and leadership on this issue. The bill before us today, as Mr. Whitfield said, advanced by Senators Shaheen and Portman in the Senate, also includes some very good ideas from many Members of this House, those from Representatives Cramer, Doyle, Latta, Loebsack, Castor, and Kinzinger. Thank you all for your contributions to this good, bipartisan bill.…”