Issue Position: Energy

Issue Position

For the sake of our economic and national security, we must end our dangerous dependence on foreign oil. And, we must invest in renewable energies such as ethanol and biodiesel and make our country entirely energy independent. In 2007, I sponsored legislation to start this process - a bill that raises Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standards in our vehicles for the first time in thirty years. Increasing fuel economy standards will reduce our need to import foreign oil, and I was pleased that important provisions from my bill were included in the energy legislation passed in late 2007. In addition, I sponsored legislation to bring more renewable fuels to the market. I introduced a bill to require 1.25 billion gallons of biodiesel to be sold in the United States, and provisions from this bill were also included in the energy package. As part of a 36 billion gallon renewable fuel program, at least 1 billion gallons will be used for bio-mass based diesel.

The comprehensive energy bill of 2007 will increase and expand domestic and renewable energy sources, as well as increase conservation. It is critical that we end our dependence on foreign oil and instead invest our resources in new technologies and energy sources that we can produce domestically. There is no silver bullet to solve our energy problems, however there are a large number of technologies and approaches that can increase domestic production of clean energy and more efficiently use our existing energy infrastructure.

Building upon that, I supported the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) when it was passed by the House in late June. ACES is a bill that works to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere through what is known as a "cap-and-trade" system. Congress has been debating cap-and-trade policies in one form or another for more than three decades. And, inaction has led to increased household energy costs and a formidable threat to our economic and national security. I am proud of both my support for and work done on the American Clean Energy and Security Act.

To that end, I can honestly say that I was heavily engaged in the debate over this bill. I spent numerous hours in the Energy and Commerce Committee pouring over the bill, and devoted many hours advocating for Hoosiers and the resources we possess. The proposal came a long way from the original form. In fact, the initial proposal was simply not feasible for Indiana largely because it called for a proposed auction of all credit allowances that would be allocated to those being regulated. Through negotiations, I and other like-minded Members were able to get the electricity sector 90% of their allowances for free.

In addition, I worked with my colleagues on the committee to enact the following consumer protection provisions: First, in order to prevent utility rates from spiking during the transition to a clean energy economy, the legislation allocates the majority of emission allowances for regulated entities like utility companies. Second, to protect jobs, manufacturing industries will be compensated for their cost of compliance with these new standards, and countries that do not accept the standards will face trade consequences. Third, the original renewable energy standard was altered to a level at which Indiana can comply while using other, more nontraditional sources, to reach the standard. For example, I secured language in the bill that will allow more waste resources -- including municipal solid waste - to be converted into and counted as renewable energy. And finally, for agriculture, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will now oversee the offset provisions, and farmers are expressly not covered under this program.

Research and incentives for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology will ensure that Indiana becomes a leader in this field. And overall, investing in a clean energy economy will create millions of homegrown jobs -- many in our most embattled industries -- that cannot be shipped overseas. Notable major American businesses agree and are supportive of this bill, such as John Deere, Johnson & Johnson, Duke Energy and Caterpillar, Inc.

Southern Indiana possesses the tools to play a key role in this process, and I believe our manufacturing base will attract and retain many clean energy jobs. This is absolutely essential to safeguarding our economic and national security.

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