WASHINGTON, DC – On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) issued the following statement following President George W. Bush signing the landmark energy bill. Last week, the Senate passed the bill with overwhelming support. Cantwell has made making our nation’s energy system cleaner and more diverse one of her top priorities.  She leveraged her membership on the three primary Senate committees that drafted this bill, the Energy, Commerce, and Finance Committees, to legislate her vision of a clean energy economy and to support budding clean energy industries in Washington state.

 

Cantwell’s statement:

 

“It is good feeling knowing that this nation is taking a step in the right direction by promoting higher fuel efficiency standards, promotion of biofuels, and developing greener technologies. We cannot continue in the same direction and President Bush signing this bill is an important change of course. While I am pleased the President signed the bill, there were two other key provisions I fought for – a national renewable electricity standard and a tax package extending and expanding incentives for alternative energy technologies – that were removed in the face of a presidential veto threat.

 

“Although I’m disappointed we weren’t able to more completely break away from our over dependence on fossil fuels, this is still the most important, and greenest, energy bill ever passed by Congress. This landmark bill bets on American ingenuity and investment rather than gambling our future on the good will of OPEC.  If we want to get beyond petroleum, we have to stop subsidizing it. It is time to get to the heart of the matter. I will continue working to protect American consumers from the rising cost of oil and gas, while creating incentives to invest in renewable and alternative energy sources that really will signify our energy independence."  

 

On the Senate floor today, Majority Leader Harry Reid said the following regarding Senator Cantwell's contributions to the energy bill:

 

"I just returned from the White House for a signing of the energy bill.  It is important to note that Senator Cantwell was not there at the signing, but how important she was.  She was extremely valuable in getting that energy bill passed.  She was instrumental in working out a number of disputes that were present that were keeping the bill from passing.  Her work on the energy bill was extremely invaluable."

 

For more information about Cantwell’s work visit: http://cantwell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=9bc3d642-8475-4108-92c3-5c1e12c2ac10&

 

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