Russ Feingold: “energy policy is an important issue for America, and my Wisconsin constituents take it very seriously. The bill before…”

“energy policy is an important issue for America, and my Wisconsin constituents take it very seriously. The bill before us seeks to address the balance of domestic production of energy resources versus foreign imports, the tradeoffs between the need for energy and the need to protect the quality of our environment, and the need for additional domestic efforts to improve our energy efficiency, and the wisest use of our energy resources. Given the importance of energy policy, an energy bill is a very serious matter, and I do not take a decision to oppose such a bill lightly. Mr. President, in my view, this bill does not achieve the correct balance on several important issues, and I will oppose this bill. Though the bill as amended will revitalize the Federal Government's responsibility to regulate fuel economy, it weakens current law and exempts pickup trucks from any future increases in fuel economy standards.”