Energy Storage Technology Advancement Act of 2007

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3776) to provide for a research, development, and demonstration program by the Secretary of Energy to support the ability of the United States to remain globally competitive in energy storage systems for vehicles, stationary applications, and electricity transmission and distribution, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 3776, the bill now under consideration.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased that the House will consider today H.R. 3776, the Energy Storage Technology Advancement Act. I would like to thank my colleagues on the Science and Technology Committee for their unanimous support in making this a good, bipartisan piece of legislation.

In particular, I would like to thank my good friend and ranking member, Mr. Hall, for his interest in this field of research. In crafting H.R. 3776, I adopted several provisions from a bill Mr. Hall introduced earlier this year, and he and his staff have worked hard to make this a good bill.

H.R. 3776 authorizes research, development and demonstration activities for energy storage technologies that offer a wide range of economic, environmental and security benefits.

Stationary energy storage systems will bring efficiencies to the electric delivery system, will improve grid reliability and security, and can even help to postpone the need for additional, costly electric generation facilities.

Energy storage technologies can also help to integrate renewable energy sources into the grid by making electricity from these intermittent resources more stable and reliable.

Furthermore, advanced battery systems can revolutionize our transportation sector by allowing for more electric-drive vehicles, thus reducing our reliance on conventional transportation fuels.

But unfortunately, we may be fast losing our ability to develop and manufacture these technologies at home. Through the collaborative public-private research, development and demonstration programs authorized in H.R. 3776, we can ensure that the United States establishes a robust domestic manufacturing base for these technologies.

To truly transform the way we manage our energy use, we must do more than make incremental improvements to current technologies. Our economic and environmental security lies in our ability to deploy the next generation energy technologies. Advances in energy storage are vital to diversifying our energy supplies and transforming our transportation sector.

Once again, I thank my colleagues on the Science and Technology Committee for working with me on this legislation, and I urge all Members to support the bill.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, let me say there's no question that Mr. Hall played a major role in this, and I'm glad that we could have this type of, again, bipartisan unanimous bill.

If my friend from Washington State has no other speakers, I have none.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3776, the Energy Storage Technology Advancement Act, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Electricity is the lifeblood of our country. Without reliable electricity, our country would not be the world leader that it is today. Therefore, anything that can be done to improve and secure the reliability of the electric grid should be supported and encouraged. H.R. 3776 aims to do just that by focusing research and development on ways to store energy which would not only assist in reliability, but also efficiency of fuel use and security of not only our grid but also, in a broader sense, of our country.

Energy storage would allow for the enhanced use of renewable energy such as wind and solar.

Currently, the ability of wind energy and solar energy to contribute electricity to the electric grid is tied to when the wind is blowing or when the sun is shining, therefore, making these sources not as reliable as conventional sources of energy such as coal, natural gas and nuclear. With energy storage, excess generation that is unable to be used at the time of generation can be stored for use at a later time. This allows for wind and solar energy to be potential sources of base load generation.

In addition to energy storage for stationary sources, there is also a promising field of energy storage for vehicles, the most recognizable example being batteries that would be used in plug-in hybrids. Plug-in hybrids would allow for a further decrease in transportation fuel consumption from conventional hybrids, thereby increasing our national security by decreasing our reliance on foreign sources of oil.

H.R. 3776 addresses the battery obstacle by including a research and development program into batteries and battery systems and a demonstration program to prove the viability of the R&D.

Madam Speaker, I'd like to thank the chairman of the Science and Technology Committee and sponsor of this bill for recognizing the importance of energy storage to our country's energy future and also for including portions of Ranking Member Hall's energy storage language that was included in H.R. 2483 and cosponsored by several members of the Science and Technology Committee.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.