Mr. Speaker, it's my privilege and honor to stand here in the House of Representatives, representing the people of the great boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn in New York for the Freshmen Energy Hour. I am privileged to be joined by…
Mr. Speaker, it's my privilege and honor to stand here in the House of Representatives, representing the people of the great boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn in New York for the Freshmen Energy Hour. I am privileged to be joined by my colleague, as I come from Hudson Valley in New York, my colleague from the Ohio Valley, the great John Boccieri, the gentleman from Ohio, who will join me in this Freshman Energy Hour.
Mr. Speaker, we're here today to talk about the American Clean Energy and Security Act, which was passed recently by the House, and to speak to its merits in order to urge the Senate to pass it as well. I sat here and listened to our great colleagues from across the aisle for some time this evening speaking on this issue. They conclude that they hope that the Senate looks upon this bill unfavorably as they criticize the initiatives of this bill.
I know that my colleague will mention it, but I would just like to remind them what their former candidate for President in last year's election, Senator John McCain, said about the cap-and-trade legislation as recently as February 17, 2009. He said: It's cap-and-trade, that there will be incentives for people to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It's a free-market approach. The Europeans are using it now. We did it in the case of addressing acid rain--look, if we do that, we stimulate green technologies. I have great faith in the American industry. This will be a profit-making business, create jobs. It won't cost the American taxpayer a thing.
So I am pleased that those who spoke before me from across the aisle in opposition to this bill referenced the opinion of the United States Senate. And I am glad that Senator McCain was honest and forthright enough to admit that this legislation does, indeed, create jobs, provides for the security of our Nation, and takes care of the environment as well, and, indeed, it is important for us for our future.
As we know, the recently passed Energy and Security legislation comes at a time when inaction will have undue consequences. This comprehensive energy and clean environment bill is a necessary vehicle to ensure our future economic and environmental viability in the 21st century green economy.
I would like to start out by commending the leadership of the House who brought forward this bill and saw that it was passed. The regional differences arising from energy-based issues are often quite lofty, but the leadership did an outstanding job of moving through the legislative process with consideration for different Members' interests.
Since the bill's passage before the Independence Day recess, many Members, myself included, have experienced varying degrees of concern from our constituents, particularly regarding the cost and impact of the bill to their wallets, and quite a lot of this concern has been raised because of misrepresentations from our gentle colleagues from the other side of the aisle as to the aspects of this bill. Together with Mr. Boccieri, I would like to address some of these concerns and the pervasive misinformation that has been put out there today and explain how this information will be a cost-saver for consumers and homeowners, will cut down on pollution, and will increase our national security.
At a time when we are importing increasing amounts of energy from hostile regions of the world, we cannot afford to go down the path of energy insecurity. This legislation will redirect us on a path towards energy independence.
Mr. Speaker, you know, I sat here and listened to our colleagues from across the aisle this evening and all day long, hundreds of minutes, I understand, that they spoke about this issue and the creation of jobs in this country. What I found very disconcerting as a New Yorker is that they've totally forgotten the issue of national security and how important energy independence is to this Nation. It's so important to me, Mr. Speaker, because I come from Staten Island and Brooklyn, New York, where, on 9/11, over 10 percent of the people who were killed in the attack on the World Trade Center came from our boroughs, although we have less than 5 percent of the population in that area.
I remember that day as clear as any other in my life--in fact, more profoundly. It was a bright, sunny day. And I remember it because I was involved in my first election campaign that day. It was a primary for the New York City Council. We were in church at about 9 a.m., as we do on every Election Day after opening the polls and campaigning a bit. The police officer who I was with received an emergency call and took us out and said that something terrible had happened and we have to go down to the harbor.
When we got down there, we saw the World Trade Center aflame, and the second plane had just struck. We went back to our office to close down the election, and as we were there, we saw the horrors of what transpired on television as the buildings collapsed. I will never forget it. I will never forget being on the pile the days after and the bucket brigade. I will never forget seeing President Bush say to our Nation and to those who lost their loved ones that we will never forget.
After we closed down the election, we weren't sure what to do that day, so we went to the local hospital and set up a blood bank to await the injured people to come back from the site. But as hour and hour went on, we realized that no one was coming back and the enormity of the tragedy. I mention this because I think it's so important that our Nation does not forget the costs of dependence upon nations around this world for oil who want to see our great American democracy torn down. Our way of life is an affront to them, and they will do anything to tear down America.
So when you have this discussion about energy and whatever they want to call it, let us never forget that this is about energy security first and foremost. America cannot go on the way it has, relying on foreign oil from countries who want to tear our country down. Even though we made a pledge at that time to end dependence on foreign oil, the chart that I have here will show that just in the last year, in 2008, the amount of oil that we imported from foreign countries was 66.4 percent of our usage. The dollars we spent overseas, $475 billion. How many of those
dollars go to al Qaeda? How many of those dollars go to terrorists who want to bring destruction and terror to our country and to our allies' countries around this world?
How dare anyone stand on the floor of this House of Representatives, this noble and esteemed body, and not talk about this anytime they talk about energy, anytime they talk about this bill. I consider it an affront when people misrepresent the facts of this bill for their own political reasons and not to bring the true facts to the American people.
Look again at the ways, since the time that the attack occurred, the way that our dependence on foreign oil, our imports have gone up so dramatically. We have, indeed, forgotten. We have forgotten those who we lost that day. We've forgotten our pledge to have security, to have energy independence, and it is something that this bill will seek to do.
At this time, I would like to ask my colleague, Mr. Boccieri, to share with us some of his thoughts from the perspective of the people of the great State of Ohio.
Thank you, Congressman Boccieri for that passioned insight on this issue. And as you point out, I talked about the horrors of our energy dependence on the Middle Eastern countries here on foreign soil, on our domestic soil and through terrorism.
But certainly, we thank you for your service to our country. And also it's quite clear that the men and women who are wearing our uniforms right now fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan are doing so, so much so because we can't get off our addiction to that foreign oil, particularly from the Mid East, and that's what this bill is about.
We'd like to hear from our equally great colleague from the great State of Maryland, Frank Kratovil.
Thank you, Congressman Kratovil. And those are points extremely well taken. And you can only wonder whether President Nixon and President Ford would be very disappointed, having understood how important this issue is to our national security to have the other side of the aisle, as you say, really giving out such misinformation about the effects and particulars of this bill to really scare the American Nation. And I can tolerate that when it's issues of a more domestic nature and whether, you know, we should, when it comes to different types of issues that we vote on on resolutions before the House or domestic issues.
But when you talk about national security, it really borders on unpatriotic, in my mind, to use misinformation to scare the American people at a time when we can really get ourselves off foreign oil.
You know, how many times have we heard about the study from the MIT economist that, according to the other side of the aisle, will cost every American family $3,100 under this bill? That very economist has come out in public and said that it is untrue, that they are misrepresenting the conclusions of his report.
And everyone from the CBO to everyone else down has pointed out that when you take in all the different ramifications of the bill in consideration, that at worst, in the year 2017, I believe it is, that the average American family, at most, would see an increase of $175 a year. Now that's in 8 years. So between now and 8 years from now there is no increase, and there are natural increases anyway. And in fact, in some parts of the country, like the Northeast, which I represent, there will actually be a decrease in cost because of the way that we generate our energy now and the way it's transmitted.
In fact, the National Resources Defense Counsel says that in the Northeast they will see a decrease of $5 per month on your electricity bill. That's why three Republicans in New Jersey voted for this bill. That's why a Republican in New York voted for this bill. They didn't listen to the misinformation. They understood it was about national security, and it delivers electricity to homeowners at a cheaper cost.
Yet, I believe to engage in misinformation on this very vital issue of national security is wrong.
Congressman Boccieri, I'd like to yield to you, sir.
You're so right, Congressman Boccieri, and you put that so eloquently. And you have to wonder why it is that the national leaders of the Republican Party get it, yet it seems to be that the Members of the House of Representatives from the Republican Party don't get it at all.
Before I yield to our great colleague, also from the great State of New York, Mr. Paul Tonko, I just want to make two points because on the issue of national security, I was shopping in my local supermarket over the weekend, and I spoke to a gentleman who had heard some of the myths about the bill and we spoke about national security. He said to me, well, if we just drilled all our oil in this country, we wouldn't have this problem. Well, we know that physically that couldn't happen immediately. But even if it were to happen, the truth of the matter is, a generation from now those resources would be depleted as well and we'd be in the same place that we are now.
The point of the matter is that we cannot go on the way that we have. And, certainly, I know that there are some who will say, well, global warming, that's a myth. Okay. Take that, if you want to make that argument, go ahead. But pollution and the effects of pollution are not a myth.
In my district we have the highest rate of lung cancer in America. And why? Because we're downwind from the factories in New Jersey and Ohio and across this country. And it blows across and into the people of Staten Island and Brooklyn, and we breathe, and also from the cars and the smog, that terrible air. And it's time, across this country and all those places and those great States that I mentioned, and in my area as well, to have clean air.
There was a very disturbing report on TV this morning. You know, children who are conceived and who are born in areas that have high levels of pollution, that have high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, if they're in the womb when they're exposed to that, their IQ rates are four or five points less than those of children who are conceived and who are born in areas that do not have that pollution. So you could argue about global warming until the cows come home. We know that it's real, but even if you think it isn't, pollution is not a fiction.
As John McCain mentioned, and as we know in New York--and my great colleague is about to speak from Upstate New York--acid rain was a problem, Congressman Tonko. Certainly, in the lakes in Upstate New York, in the Adirondacks and in the Catskill Mountains, they were dead. The lakes were dead, and that was caused by pollution from sulfur dioxide. We now know, because of cap-and-trade, a program which was implemented in 1990 at a third of the projected cost at that time and in half the time projected to clean up, it is very successful, and those lakes again are alive.
Referring to Upstate New York, it's a privilege and an honor to welcome our colleague from the great State of New York, one who is a real leader on the issue of energy and on a clean environment, Paul Tonko.
I think it's rather telling--and before I defer to my colleague from Maryland--that, today, the other side of the aisle did 130 one-minute speeches, asking the question: Where are the jobs?
Quite clearly, as you have stated and from these independent studies, from the balance of the studies, by 2020, there will be either 250,000 or 300,000 green jobs created in this country, as shown on this map of our country. It shows where the jobs will be created all
across this great Nation. Each circle indicates from 4,000 to 85,000 to 250,000. All of these jobs across this country will be created. This is where the jobs are. It is in doing legislation that is insightful, that is thoughtful, that takes some courage to stand up and to deal with difficult issues, and that doesn't run away from the fact that this is, indeed, an issue, not only of domestic financial security but of, first and foremost, national security.
Congressman Kratovil from Maryland, I yield to you, sir.
Thank you, Mr. Kratovil. You did that very eloquently, and I think it certainly moved some of the people who are watching.
You know, before I yield to our great friend from Ohio (Mr. Boccieri), you had pointed out about how facts are so important for a prosecutor and about the author of that study and that the facts were being misused. Publicly, the author said, No, you're misusing my study. These are the real facts. I could see people would misuse it until he made that statement. Maybe they misunderstood it. Yet, when he clarified it and said that they were misstating it, can you imagine that I heard it cited on the floor of this House this evening just prior to our hour here? I find that incredible, and it's certainly something that speaks to the fact that, for some, unfortunately, it's more about politics here than it is doing what is right for the American people.
I yield to our colleague from the great State of Ohio, John Boccieri.
Thank you, John.
I now yield to the great gentleman from the great State of New York, Mr. Tonko.
Thank you, Congressman Tonko, and you put that eloquently. And certainly when the other side was engaged today in just long-winded speeches asking the question, ``Where are the jobs?'' you certainly will tell them with the stimulus package and with the ACES bill, with the Energy Security Act, we have jobs in Schenectady, New York, and Staten Island, New York, and anywhere else where we can build wind turbines and get back the technology that we invented and is now being used overseas.
Gentlemen, we have about 9 minutes left or so, so maybe I could ask you all to kind of make a final remark. And we'll start with certainly the most youthful member--that's a tough one to say.
The person who lives the closest to Washington.
Thank you, Mr. Kratovil, for participating.
And Mr. Boccieri, before I yield to you, I hope you will accept my heartfelt apology for even thinking that Congressman Kratovil could be younger than you, sir.
Thank you. Congressman Tonko.
I thank Congressman Tonko for those inspiring words, and thank you all.
You know, it's funny, but in conclusion, I think we all have hit on the very important themes.
Congressman Kratovil pointed out that it is about the domestic side, how much we pay for oil and gas, and what happened last summer, $4 of gas, America was outraged, that somehow a year later we've forgotten that because there are those in the House of Representatives of the United States Congress who use misinformation and misstatement of facts to somehow take the American people's focus off what has to be done.
Just think about how many people you talk to at home who said, what, now I have to have an energy auditor in my house when I sell my home? We know that's not in the bill; yet, there are those who on the other side of the aisle have used that misrepresentation of fact to scare the American people, and that's wrong.
Congressman Boccieri is a great veteran, a great flyer of planes for the United States military service. We thank you for your service, and you remind us that right now there are young men and women wearing the uniform of our country in places like Iraq and Afghanistan and other places, standing in harm's way because we have not dealt forcefully and effectively with our energy policy, and it's time that we end that.
And as I said to you, coming from New York City and having lived firsthand the horrors of the acts of terrorism on our shores, in our country, we cannot forget the sacrifice that was made that day by those who lost their lives and those who got to the site and came to the rescue and continue to suffer the deleterious effects of their health.