Maria Cantwell: “I rise tonight because we are on the precipice of passing new energy legislation--new energy legislation that will point…”

“I rise tonight because we are on the precipice of passing new energy legislation--new energy legislation that will point our country in a new direction, on an energy strategy that is about cleaner, renewable alternative fuel, and, yes, on research and development, on many other ways that will help us, as Americans, be energy leaders again. It is exciting to be here tonight on the Senate floor as new legislation is being adopted that does change the direction in ways my colleagues have been fighting for many years and many of the staff who are behind me have been fighting for much of their legislative careers on the Hill. But we are here tonight because Senator Reid, early this year, asked six different committees to come up with energy legislation and point our country in a new direction. He asked each of those committees to put those proposals on the Senate floor by passing them out in a bipartisan fashion, and those committees have done so. Now, while we have not gotten all those packages together, we do have a proposal before us that would save the United States 20 percent on the oil consumption of today. That is a great goal.…”