Maria Cantwell: “I want to make one point clear this morning. This vote is about whose side you are on: Whether you are on the side of…”

“I want to make one point clear this morning. This vote is about whose side you are on: Whether you are on the side of ratepayers and consumers in making sure we have a national energy policy that works or whether you are going to give in to the special interests who are at this very moment trying to put last-minute deals on the table, ripening other bills with projects that will convince Members to switch over at the last minute instead of standing up for the public. When the Vice President started this effort, he said, ``We are going to have a national energy policy,'' quoting from his report that a lot of people took pride in, thinking that somehow this administration was going to play a leadership role in an energy policy for the 21st century. In that report, the Vice President said: It envisions a comprehensive long-term strategy that uses leading edge technology to produce an integrated energy, environmental, and economic policy to achieve a 21st century quality of life, enhanced by renewable energy and a clean environment. We must modernize conservation, modernize our infrastructure, increase energy supply, including renewables, accelerate the protection and improvement of our environment, and increase greater energy security.”