Heavy Duty Hybrid Vehicle Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 2009

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 445) to establish a research, development, demonstration, and commercial application program to promote research of appropriate technologies for heavy duty plug-in hybrid vehicles, and for other purposes, as amended.

I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 445, the bill now under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to put before the House today H.R. 445 by Mr. Jim Sensenbrenner. The House passed a nearly identical bill, H.R. 6323, in the 110th Congress and, unfortunately, that is as far as the bill got. Hopefully we can get some movement on this measure this time around.

By enhancing the Department of Energy's research program in heavy duty hybrid trucks, this bill draws much needed focus to a very critical component of the transportation sector, that being commercial trucks.

We have repeatedly learned the hard way just how much the health of our economy can hinge on the commercial transportation sector. Costly fuel translates directly into higher prices for consumers since the large majority of products we consume or use, from food to building materials, are at some point transported by a medium to heavy duty truck. We must take measures to ensure that this remains a vibrant economic sector.

The heavy truck sector also plays a role in our energy security and environmental health. Approximately one-fourth of the Nation's fuel use and the majority of transportation-based emissions can be attributed to heavy duty trucks. One large tractor-trailer rig uses as much fuel annually as 48 passenger vehicles. We can see how even small improvements in their efficiency can have a substantial impact.

As with passenger vehicles, hybrid technologies hold the greatest promise for improving the fuel economy and emissions of commercial trucks, but considerable research and development is required to put these technologies on the road. While the technological requirements for hybrid trucks are very different, advances in this sector can benefit the domestic automotive sector as a whole by providing invaluable lessons learned in the designing and manufacturing of these systems.

Mr. Sensenbrenner's bill represents a commonsense approach to chipping away at our energy challenge. I believe this is an important piece of legislation in the large and complex puzzle that is our transportation sector. And I urge my colleagues to support the measure.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I again commend Representative Sensenbrenner for his work on H.R. 445, which will speak to heavy duty hybrid vehicle research and development. The deployment of the improvements that we can make in that transportation sector will aid us tremendously in responding favorably to the environment and to our energy needs. For that purpose and many of the related energy and environment benefits that come from such research and development, I strongly urge our colleagues to support H.R. 445.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the remainder of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to urge support for my Hybrid Truck bill. New

taxes are not the only solution to climate change. We need to focus on our economy as we work to reduce our emissions. We can over-regulate our businesses, cripple our economic development, and watch as China and India race past us--sputtering greenhouse gases along the way--or Congress can create incentives that encourage the development of new technologies that will reduce our emissions, foster economic development, and allow U.S. manufacturers to export their energy-saving technologies worldwide.

Commercial traffic is truly vital to the American economy, and the fuel costs for trucks directly affect costs for all Americans. Higher prices for their fuel raise the prices of our food, healthcare, manufacturing, retail, waste removal, and other goods and services. While our economy would not survive without them, trucks consume huge quantities of oil, which raises the cost of their business, increases our dependence on oil, and injects greenhouse gases into our environment.

The answer is not to burden these businesses, already strained by high fuel costs, with additional taxes for the carbon dioxide they release. Instead, we need to encourage the development and introduction of technologies that will reduce their fuel consumption.

The technologies we need already exist. Everyone has seen hybrid cars. This technology, which combines gas and electric motors for a powerful and efficient engine, is even more practical in trucks. Even though there are fewer trucks on the road, trucks use more fuel.

Utility trucks, for example, typically drive short distances to and from a work site, but sit idle for hours while on site. A plug-in hybrid truck would use less fuel getting to and from the site, and could operate without any fuel while on site. Ultimately, a plug-in hybrid engine in a utility truck could use up to 60 percent less fuel.

Delivery trucks constantly stop and go. Hybrid engines excel at this type of driving because the engine can essentially turn off during short accelerations, while coasting, and when it is at a stop.

Developing these technologies will have benefits beyond fuel savings. By making our trucks more efficient, we will make our goods and services more affordable and become leaders in these new technologies. By helping American manufacturers research and commercialize new technologies, we can strengthen our economy, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and lower our emissions.

H.R. 445 is one example of how technology, not taxes, can solve our energy crisis. This legislation will accelerate research of plug-in hybrid technology in trucks by creating grants for manufacturers to build, test, and sell plug-in hybrid utility and delivery trucks. This bill will put plug-in hybrid trucks on the road and help advance research and accelerate commercialization of an important technology.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to submit the following memo regarding H.R. 445:

Heavy Duty Hybrid Vehicle Research, Development, and Demonstration Act

of 2009

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in support of H.R. 445, the Heavy Duty Hybrid Vehicle Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 2009, sponsored by my good friend, Congressman Sensenbrenner. H.R. 445 was originally introduced in the 110th Congress as H.R. 6323, where it passed out of the Committee on Science and Technology with bipartisan support and input from both sides of the aisle and was passed by the House of Representatives under suspension of the rules by voice vote.

I'm pleased that Mr. Sensenbrenner reintroduced his bill in this Congress that we're debating on the floor today. While most of the attention on hybrid vehicles has been focused on passenger cars, large, heavy duty hybrid trucks have received limited funds for Federal research and development programs. However, because trucks generally use much more fuel per year than passenger vehicles, the overall potential on satisfaction is very significant. The Environmental Protection Agency establishes that a typical delivery truck using a hydraulic hybrid system could save up to 1,000 gallons of fuel per year.

In light of the proposed savings in fuel use and resulting emissions reduction, the Heavy Duty Hybrid Vehicle Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 2009 aims to encourage the advancement of the needed technology to bring about these savings. The bill directs the Secretary of Energy to establish a grant program for the development of advanced heavy duty hybrid vehicles.

These grants are awarded in two phases. In phase one, grant recipients are required to build or retrofit one or more advanced heavy duty hybrid vehicles and to collect required data. In phase two, grant recipients are required to produce or retrofit 50 advanced heavy duty hybrid vehicles, collect required data, and report on the results.

In addition, the bill directs the Secretary to conduct a study of alternative power train designs for use in advanced heavy duty hybrid vehicles and, further, directs the Secretary to establish a pilot program through DOE's national laboratories to research and test the effects on the domestic electric power grid of the widespread use of plug-in hybrid vehicles,

including heavy duty plug-in hybrid trucks.

Again, I thank Congressman Sensenbrenner for introducing this bill, and Chairman Gordon for helping to advance it. I think it makes good sense and deserves passage.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my support for the Wind Energy Research and Development Act (H.R. 3165) and the Heavy Duty Hybrid Vehicle Research, Development and Demonstration Act (H.R. 445). I thank my colleagues on the Science and Technology Committee for their work on these important bills, which will help secure America's role as a global leader in innovation.

An aggressive transition to a clean renewable energy economy is necessary to modernize America's economy for the 21st century. In this historic moment, we have the responsibility and the opportunity to secure America's place as a global hub of technological innovation, an economic leader, and a steward of our planet. Passage of H.R. 3165 and H.R. 445 will focus American ingenuity to achieve these important goals.

Wind energy is a critical component of America's clean energy future. The growth potential for the industry is enormous: in 2008 alone the industry installed enough new wind energy production capacity to power over 2 million homes. My state of Minnesota is currently fourth in the nation for installed wind energy production capacity and is in the top ten states for wind energy production potential. However, like many new industries, the wind energy industry requires federal incentives to fuel its growth. The Wind Energy Research and Development Act authorizes an important new demonstration program at the Department of Energy to reduce the costs of construction, generation, and maintenance of wind energy systems. Developing these technologies will help reduce existing barriers to expansion of wind power around the country.

America's shift to a clean energy economy requires the development of advanced vehicle technologies to save consumers money and reduce harmful emissions. In addition to clean passenger vehicles, we must modernize our commercial transport fleet. The Heavy Duty Hybrid Vehicle Research, Development and Demonstration Act will create a competitive grant program to support research, development and demonstration of advanced heavy duty hybrid vehicle technologies. This program will help make America's commercial transport fleet the cleanest and most efficient in the world.

Transitioning to a clean energy economy and curtailing global climate change are two of the great challenges of our time--American innovation is the key to addressing them both. I urge my colleagues to support these two important pieces of legislation.