December 19, 2007: Kaptur Backs New Energy Bill As First Step Toward a 'Declaration of Energy Independence'

"Not a moment too soon," Kaptur said, "Congress finally hastaken action on the energy crisis that is squeezing the middle class,threatening our economy, distorting our foreign policy, and leaving usvulnerable to repressive governments that just happen to control vastoil reserves."

Kaptur, a longtime proponent of alternativeenergy, including the solar and hydrogen research center at theUniversity of Toledo, said the passage of the Energy Independence andSecurity Act means Congress is moving in the right direction on energy.

"I'm still not satisfied with the pace of the effort," she said. "Weneed an initiative as bold as the Manhattan Project that developed theatomic bomb and as ambitious as the Apollo Project that put a man onthe moon. At least this bill makes a start at reducing our dangerousdependence on foreign oil."

Spurred along by a doubling ofthe price of gasoline since 2001, the new energy bill holds out theprospect of much-needed price relief to the American consumers and willcreate thousands of new jobs in the development of alternativeenergy.

The bill will increase corporate average fueleconomy (CAFE) standards for new cars and trucks to 35 miles per gallonby 2020. It will cut projected U.S. oil consumption by more than fourmillion barrels a day by 2030 and expand American-grown biofuelproduction to 36 billion gallons in 2022.

The improved fuelefficiency standards will save consumers an estimated $22 billion ayear at the gasoline pump through 2020 (or, between $700 and $1,000 perfamily each year). "I was pleased that the final bill incorporated theconcerns of organizations such as the United Auto Workers who wereadamant about saving good-paying American jobs," Kaptur said.

Building, appliance and lighting efficiency will save consumers $400billion through 2030 and should make American products more competitivein the world market.

The bill also adopts a renewableelectricity standard and creates tax incentives for clean renewable andalternative energy-all of which will be paid for by repealing subsidiesthat are currently going to the big oil companies.