Issue Position: Energy Policy and Global Warming

Issue Position

I believe that Americans deserve affordable, reliable energy supplies -and that most Americans share my desire to free our nation from its current dependence on oil from unstable parts of the world. Consequently, I have been working for years to put in place a comprehensive national energy policy that would make the United States energy-independent. I believe that such a policy should include expanded conservation efforts and increased emphasis on energy-efficiency, as well as greater utilization of alternative fuels and new energy technology like fuel cells and gas-electric hybrid motors.

I also believe that the United States, as well as the rest of the world, needs to reduce the amount of air pollution that we create -- especially emissions of the gases that are causing global climate change.

Fortunately, many of the same policies can achieve both goals -- as well as promote economic growth in the decades to come by creating good-paying new clean energy jobs.Moreover, many experts share my view that there doesn't have to be a trade-off between protecting the environment and promoting economic growth. In fact, many measures that conserve energy and tap alternative resources like wind and solar power also save businesses and consumers lots of money over the long run -- even though they may require a somewhat bigger investment up front.

As a member of the House of Representatives' Energy and Commerce Committee, the House committee with jurisdiction over energy issues, I have been actively working to reshape the country's energy policies to promote energy-efficiency, conservation, and alternative and renewal sources of energy while reducing pollution and our dependence on oil from overseas.

In recent years, for example, I introduced and worked successfully to enact legislation to promote increased public and private sector use of green building technology. I also supported legislation to increase energy-efficiency standards for lights and other electronic appliances -- as well as new fuel economy standards for cars and trucks. I also worked to establish a federal tax incentive for consumers to buy gas-electric hybrid-powered automobiles. In addition, I have worked successfully to double funding for federal research on fuel cell technology.

I was very involved on the Energy and Commerce Committee for much of last year in drafting legislation that would halt global warming without harming American jobs and our economy. I am very proud of the bill we produced -- the American Clean Energy and Security (ACES) Act, which the House of Representatives approved in November 2009.

This bill would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by the year 2050 while costing most American households only pennies a day and creating millions of good-paying jobs here in the United States.

The American Clean Energy and Security Act also contains strong policies to encourage the development, manufacture, and widespread adoption of new technology to tap alternative and renewable energy supplies and use the energy we produce more efficiently. It also contains provisions to make the use of fossil fuels like coal safer and cleaner while the transition to more sustainable energy sources takes place.

I am convinced that transforming the way we produce and use energy will have the same job creation potential in the coming years that the development and adoption of computers, the internet, and wireless technology are having now. I believe that the United States must be a leader in this field if we want to preserve and improve our standard of living in the coming decades.

Finally, I was successful in working to include a provision in the bill that will protect our nation's energy-intensive trade-sensitive industries like steel, aluminum, and glass manufacturers from unfair competition from foreign countries that don't adopt comparable policies to reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions. This will prevent the devastation of domestic manufacturing industries and the outsourcing of American manufacturing jobs.

Americans have nothing to fear and everything to gain from enacting energy policies that will reduce our country's energy consumption, create new clean energy jobs and "green" homes and businesses, and curb global warming.

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