Simpson And Otter Support Energy Bill
Simpson And Otter Support Energy Bill 7/28/2005
IDAHOANS BACK FINAL HOUSE PASSAGE OF PLAN FOR GREATER SECURITY, PROSPERITY
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Idaho Congressmen Mike Simpson and C.L. "Butch" Otter voted with the 275-156 majority on Thursday for final House approval of a plan for making energy more affordable and environmentally friendly, and America more secure and prosperous.
The Energy Policy Act, H.R. 6, represents a collaborative effort by House and Senate conferees to end more than 12 years of America lacking a comprehensive plan for our energy future. The result is a balanced, bipartisan bill that will lower energy prices for consumers, spur our economy and create hundreds of thousands of new jobs, while taking unprecedented steps to promote greater energy conservation and efficiency.
"This is a bill that should be welcomed by anybody who's out of work because their employer couldn't afford the energy costs to keep them on the job, anybody who still has a job but has to tighten their belt a little more to pay the high cost of gas to keep getting to work, anybody who cares how much our dependence on foreign energy leaves us vulnerable to economic blackmail, and anybody who wants a better, cleaner and safer future for their children and grandchildren," said Congressman Otter, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee that played the key role in crafting the legislation. "I'm eager for the Senate to follow our lead and the President to sign it into law. We all will be better off."
"Our nation desperately needs a new approach to energy security and I am thrilled that with the passage of this bill, the Idaho National Laboratory will be leading the way," said Congressman Simpson, a member of the House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee. "This bill will breathe new life into our nation's nuclear energy industry, encourage the construction of new ethanol plants, accelerate promising hydrogen fuel technology, and help weaken the grip OPEC has on our economy. It represents the initial steps toward our long-term goal of energy independence."
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