ms. matsui: madam speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from arizona, ms. giffords. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from arizona is recognized for two minutes. ms. giffords: i rise today in support of the legislation. i was pleased to join with my southwestern colleagues, deana titus and martin heinrich, to offer an amendment to this bill which is part of the manager's amendment w strong support from my colleagues and sustainable energy and environment coalition we crafted an amendment which will expand the government's use of electricity from renewable sources such as solar energy in a couple ways. first it extends the alouble period of time from which federal agencies may sign public power agreements from 10 years to 20 years. . it will allow companies to offer lower rates, making renewable power more cost competitive. it will promote installation of power from power companies and

military companies. this time expansion from 10 to 20 years, this provision is going to be a significant benefit to these projects and other projects across the country. second, the amendment will establish a target of 20% renewable electricity for all government agencies by 2020. similar to the renewable electricity standard for utilities already crafted in this legislation, this provision simply ensures that our federal government is doing the same. we're creating a market for renewable power. as a normal consumer of of energy, like the department of defense, they can have a positive impact by modifying its procurement process by supporting emerging technologies in this way. this bill, madam speaker, is not a perfect bill, but it's an important piece of legislation, and i urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support it. thank you.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from texas. mr. sessions: thank you, madam speaker. at this time i yield three minutes to the gentleman from the republican caucus, mr. pence. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from indiana is recognized for three minutes. mr. pence: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. pence: madam speaker, this is a difficult time in the life of our nation. in the life of our nation's economy and that of families and small businesses and family farms. remarkably today with an embarrassingly brief amount of debate and discussion and amendment, the democratic majority is poised to bring to the floor of the congress what amounts to the largest tax increase in american history. under the guise of climate change legislation. now, there's a lot of debate about what this bill will cost the average american household, from hundreds of dollars to thousands of dollars, but there actually is no debate over the fact that this legislation will

cost millions of american jobs. on that point there is no discussion. the bill itself actually includes a fund that would provide resources for americans who lose their jobs if cap and trade becomes law. and there are news reports this morning, although i am yet to confirm there, that there will be new trade restrictions in this legislation because the expectation, and it is reasonable, is by raising the cost of energy for every american business that we will see businesses flee overseas, taking jobs abroad in these difficult economic times. it is extraordinary to say the least, but the way in bill is coming to the floor ought to be disturbing to every american, republican, democrat and independent that's looking in. last night at 3:09 a.m. house democrats filed a 309-page amendment and denied republican

and democrat amendments to the tune of the 224 that were submitted. three hours of debate, one amendment filed at 3:09 in the morning that's 309 pages. and i would ask the democrat majority and the speaker respectfully, what's the hurry? what are we hiding here that we can't afford more time for the american people and their elected representatives to examine what's in this bill? is there more corporate welfare, more deals for special interests? were members that were on the fence placated with special provisions for industries in their districts? we are hurrying to find out, and we have to hurry because the majority just recently denied us one additional minute

of debate. you know the term congress, madam speaker, is actually an ancient term. it means interaction. it means the intercourse between men and women in ideas and philosophies. this is not congress. i don't know what this is. 3:00 in the morning, 300 pages, one amendment is a travesty. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentlewoman from california. ms. matsui: madam speaker, i yield 1 1/2 minutes to the gentleman from vermont, a member of the committee on energy and commerce, mr. welch. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from vermont is recognized for 90 seconds. mr. welch: thank you. i thank my colleague. madam speaker, a confident nation acknowledges the challenge it faces. it doesn't ignore them. a confident people faced with a

challenge rolls up its sleeves and addresses the problem before them. madam speaker, today congress has two questions. the first is, will it acknowledge the challenge of global warming that it is real, that it is urgent and that it demands attention now? and, second, will congress by this first step of passing this legislation unleash the power of america to take that step towards american energy independence, to unleash the brilliance of our scientists and engineers to develop alternative and renewable energy, to unleash the competitiveness of our entrepreneurs to bring to market energy-saving devices and to create jobs in america? the frugality and thriftiness of our homeowners and business

observers who have buildings, to be able to -- business owners who have buildings, to save money, the skills of our masons, carpenters to go to work making our buildings more energy independent. madam speaker, every generation faces its challenge and what we have seen across america is that young people have taken this on and our question is whether -- ms. matsui: i yield 15 seconds. mr. welch: and the question we face as congress is simply this, will we put to work those young americans, those scientists, those entrepreneurs and allow them to make america energy independent? the questions we face can be solved. we have to give permission and authority for people to act. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired.

the gentleman from texas. mr. sessions: thank you, madam speaker. at this time i'd like to yield a minute and a half to the distinguished gentleman from georgia, dr. broun. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia is recognized for 90 seconds. mr. broun: i want to give my personal congratulations to congresswoman tauscher. and i just look for great things out of you. so congratulations. i rise to speak against this rule. this rule is blatantly unfair to the american people. it is quashed ideas. it has prevented good amendments to be introduced on this floor and to have the proper debate that we should have something that is as extremely as important as this bill is. we've just gotten this. but let me tell what you this bill is, america. madam speaker, this bill is going to kill millions of jobs in america. people are going to be put out of work because of this bill.

now, we hear all the time about global warming. well, actually we've had a flat tine temperatures globally for the last eight -- flat line temperatures tpwhrobally for the last eight years. -- globally for the last eight years. the scientists have said that human induced global change is one of the greatest hoaxes perpetrated out of the scientific community. it is a hoax. there is no scientific consensus. but this is going to kill jobs. it's going to raise the cost of food. it's going to raise the cost of medicines. it's going to raise the cost of electricity and gasoline. every good and service in this country is going to go up. and who's going to be hurt most? the poor, the people on limited income, the retirees, the elderly, the people who least can afford to have their energy raised. m.i.t. says over $3,100 per family. this rule must be defeated. this bill must be defeated. we need to be good stewards of

our environment, but this is not it. it's a hoax. i encourage people to vote against the bill and the rule. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentlewoman from california. the gentlewoman from california. ms. matsui: madam speaker, i yield three minutes to the gentleman from texas -- the gentlewoman from texas, ms. jackson lee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from texas is recognized for three minutes. the gentlewoman is recognized for three minutes. ms. jackson lee: i'd like to thank the gentlelady from california and i say this is for the courageous and the willing who wants to see a new vision. i am well aware of the hard task that our friends on the rules committee had. so i'm voting for the rule. and i come from the energy capital of the world. we are proud to say that.

we've obviously lived in the clothing of the energy of this past century and what continues in the century to come. but i realize there needs to be a seamless energy policy. i represent the city of houston. hardworking americans. and so it's important as we listen to our friends on the other side of the aisle this is a challenging time. it is a time for heavy lifting, to be able to look at what happened in the past. we realize under the bush administration the increase in what we pay for gasoline went from 2,000-plus to 4,000-plus. we realize in this legislation there is great effort to ensure that the american people are addressed fairly. so 40% of american households will face almost no cost as a result of this bill. let's get the facts. we know that the c.b.o. score of the bill that have been utilized by our friends on the

other side of the aisle is incorrect because the increase on building our energy resources will wind up being $770 per family. but there are issues that we should continue to be focused on, and, therefore, we should look to ensure that no american who may be displaced for any reason, new technology is not in essence overlooked. there are millions of dollars for green energy job training in this bill. i am looking to offer amendments that focus on making sure that any dip in job positions will be monitored by the labor department, and in fact that resources will be available for all americans. but what are we trying to do here is to build a new culture and work with what we have, to build the seamless resources that we have across the country and gather up the carbons out

of the air and make our quality of life better and at the same time give us a new vision for how we handle the energy needs of our nation. and so it is important that we recognize that there is a structure to capture that carbon, there is a response to those who are in essence impacted, there are credits that are going to be given. at the same time i was concerned about the labeling of different buildings, and we are working on language that would ensure that older buildings won't have to participate in the assessment of whether your building is energy efficient. it will be for new construction. so we are making our way because in fact this is a beginning. we'll be working with the senate, we'll be working with the president, we'll be working on behalf of the american people. we have to get started. we have to be innovative. we have to claim the 1.7 million jobs that this bill will create. i think america wants us to do that.

i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentleman from texas. mr. sessions: madam speaker, could you please advise us how much time has left? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas has six minutes remaining. the gentlewoman from california has 9 3/4 minutes remaining. mr. sessions: i yield 1 1/2 minutes to the gentleman from georgia, dr. gingrey. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. gingrey: i am opposed to the rule and the underlying legislation. americans are watching from iran to north korea the forces of darkness are attempting to force democracy and the ideas of freedom. on this day the democratic process and our nation's economic freedom are under threat, not by some rogue state but in this very chamber in which we stand. good people may disagree on the impact of the merits of this bill, but no one can disagree with the fact that the speaker and our rules committee have silenced the opposition of 224

amendments, madam speaker, one, and i repeat, one amendment was actually made in order. madam speaker, i offered an amendment which was, of course, not made in order that would have allowed a state to opt out of this legislation. how can we not give them the ability to say that their citizens and their businesses simply cannot afford this pelosi global warming tax? for some of them, this bill will be an economic death sentence. and yet, madam speaker, this house will not have a chance to vote on this amendment or any of the other 222. they were ban from being debated and voted upon in this the people's house -- and in this the people's house i call on everyone to oppose this rule. not for the sake of the democratic process but for the sake of our nation's economy. with that, madam speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california. ms. matsui: i yield two minutes

to the gentleman from new mexico, mr. heinrich. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new mexico is recognized for two minutes. mr. heinrich: madam speaker, i rise today in support of this rule which includes an amendment i worked to draft with my colleagues, ms. titus of nevada, and ms. giffords of arizona. this amendment will make sure that the federal government leads by example on clean energy. in my district, kirkland air force base has tried for a number of years to contract with local clean energy producers to purchase electricity to help power the base. but there are several federal policies that stand in the way of these kinds of projects. new mexico is second in the nation for solar energy potential. and we have a thriving clean energy industry in albuquerque, creating jobs today. so this is a natural partnership. however many federal agencies have discovered that the 10-year limit on federal power purchase agreements made these kinds of agreements uneconomical for their private sector partners in the solar

industry. our amendment will extend the length of these contracts to 20 years, allowing more federal agencies to sign agreements with clean energy producers. this will put americans to work and ensure the federal government leads by example in the use of clean energy. i urge my colleagues to support this rule, this legislation, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas. mr. sessions: if i could please ask my colleague, the gentlewoman from california, if she could in an effort to get our time back to an even balance, if she could have one of her speakers up at this time . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves his time. ms. matsui: i'd like to yield to the gentleman from california. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for two minutes. mr. schiff: madam speaker, the bill today that chairman waxman has so carefully sent to the floor today is landmark achievement for this body. for the first time as a nation,

we are moving towards energy independence, creating millions of new clean jobs, and confronting the threat that global warming poses to the earth. as parents we all struggle to provide our children with a better life. without the strong action embodied in this bill, the world that we bequeath to our children will be diminished by continued reliance on middle eastern oil, by exporting billions of hard earned american dollars to petrodictatorships and warming earth. america has been at her best during her greatest struggles. as before her industry and entrepreneurial sprirt will prevail. already the -- spirit will prevail. already the green technology industry is booming across the country with new factories built and new companies formed every day. unfortunately the federal government itself has not been able to fully utilize renewable energy. many renewable energy insulation vs. large up-front costs which then have to be recovered in the form of cheap

energy over the course of many years. but the federal government has been restrictive from signing long-term contracts for energy. so affordable renewable energy has been unavailable to thousands of government offices around the country. the rule for this bill inserts an important provision that i authored as independent legislation earlier this year and that i worked with many colleagues to include. it loosens the restrictions on energy purchases by the government. and that will spur local green energy development in every state in the nation. i hope that we could support this measure, this rule, this bill, and fulfill the promise that we have given to our constituents. that we will serve this country not only today and during this congress, but for the long haul that we will make not only the easy decisions but the hard ones. i thank the speaker. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from texas. mr. sessions: thank you, madam

speaker. at this time i'd like to yield one minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from illinois, mrs. biggert. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from illinois is recognized for one minute. mrs. biggert: i rise today in opposition to this rule and the bill. i offered five bipartisan commonsense amendments to the bill with support of other members. not one of these were made in order. i offered an amendment to strike the section that mandates national building codes because my amendment was rejected of state or local governments don't comply with these new national mandates. homeowners today who are struggling to make ends meet could be charged $100 a day for not being in compliance. a new tax on american homeowners is the wrong direction. i had another amendment to strike from this bill the new tax on all transactions cleared by any u.s. regulated derivatives clearing organization. this bill then will have very chilling consequences. it will punish those using u.s.

regulated clearing organizations. discourage the use of central clearing organizations, and reduce transparency and liquidity and encourage legitimate businesses activities to move to unregulated foreign markets. another amendment would revise the nuclear advanced fuel cycle initiative to set a policy for clean, safe nuclear energy. i oppose this rule and the bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. the gentlewoman from california. ms. matsui: madam speaker, i yield 1 1/2 minutes to the gentleman from illinois, mr. quigley. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois is recognized for a minute and a half. mr. quigley: thank you, madam speaker. it's interesting earlier today someone asked me how can you vote for this measure because global warming is a hoax? my answer was, it's very simple. i remove the blinders there that exist with some of my colleagues who think that global warming is a hoax. i remind them that there are

zero peer reviewed scientific studies that say global warming is a hoax. there are hundreds of peer reviewed scientific studies that say global warming is real and that man's actions contribute greatly to that increase in t -- in temperature. we are often asked what's o legacy here? what matters about what we do? i'd like to think it's how our children and grandchildren will react to what we did and what we left behind. so let's face reality and do what's right for our children and our children's children. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas. mr. sessions: at this time i'd like to yield a grand total of 30 seconds to the distinguished gentlewoman from tennessee, mrs. blackburn. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized for 30 seconds. mrs. blackburn: thank you, madam speaker. i do rise to oppose this rule. many of my constituents see this as a government regulation

of the very air you breathe. they know that this is a liberal's dream and that indeed many think that the democrats have become the party of punishment. we are the party of no. we want people to know what is in this bill. i offered in committee an amendment that would require disclosure of what this legislation would cost consumers on their electric bills, at the gas pump, and products they buy. in rules committee i offered an amendment to require every transaction that ferc makes on these allocations in offsets to be listed in a data base that is searchable. by the public so they will know what is inhis. they were voted down. i encourage all too oppose this rule and this bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california. ms. matsui: -- the gentlewoman from california has five minutes remaining. the gentleman from texas has three minutes remaining miss

mat suey: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas. mr. sessions: is the gentlewoman through running down her speakers now? we still have some disparate in the little bit of time that was given. i would like there to be parity. ms. matsui: i have additional speakers coming. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas. mr. sessions: ifhe has additional speakers i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves his time. the gentlewoman from california. ms. matsui: i'm looking around and i don't see my speakers presently there. i'm red -- ready to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves her time. mr. sessions: at this time i'd like to yield one minute to the gentleman from tennessee, dr. roe. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from tennessee is recognized for one minute. mr. roe: madam speaker, i rise in opposition to this rule and underlying legislation. i have only been here six months but this is the worst piece of legislation that's

come out of the house yet t defies logic at a time of economic recession we would impose a regressive national energy tax that many predict ld result in net job loss. supporters of this legislation only want to talk about the so-called green jobs that will be created. but they ignore some studies indicate for every one job created two or eliminated. worse we are creating a costly confusing program of carbon credits. let me make one prediction, the only certainty under this bill is wall street traders sophisticated enough to understand how these credits are traded will make millions. i offered an amendment yesterday at the rules committee stating at least bring it to a level playing field between u.s., china, and india. my feeling is if congress is going to pass this legislation, we should require india and china, two enormous and growing sources of greenhouse emissions, to abide by the same standards. my amendment would have required the us to us come to agreement with these two countries on emissions before

and implementing any provisions within this bill. this rule is a sham. i urge democrats to demand a return to democratic process. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from texas. mr. sessions: madam speaker, at this time i would like to yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from louisiana, mr. scalise. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from louisiana is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. scalise: thank you, madam speaker. i rise in opposition to this rule. this is a massive energy tax on the backs of the american people all across this country. all estimates show millions of jobs will be lost by this cap and trade energy tax. every household family will see an increase in their utility bills. we brought amendments, last night, to protect american jobs. they ruled every one of those amendments out of order. we brought amendments to protect american families from having their utility bills

increased. they ruled every one of those amendments out of order. what is speaker pelosi and this liberal leadership trying to hide from the american people? we should have an open, honest debate on this bill. it's a bad bill and rule. i urge rejection of the rule. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. ms. matsui: madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california. ms. matsui: my speaker has arrived and i'd like to yield one minute to the gentleman from new mexico, mr. lujan. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new mexico is recognized for one minute. mr. lujan: thank you very much, mr. speaker. our country's dependence on foreign oil threatens our economy and security. we need to take bold steps to become energy independent by growing the new energy economy. comprehensive energy reform will reduce or dependence on foreign oil, making us more security as a nation. the energy bill we consider today will also create clean energy jobs, inspiring a new economy. as a former utility commissioner, i saw firsthand the positive impact energy reform had on my state of new mexico. we instituted a renewable energy standard that increased the generation of renewables. we encourage energy efficiency that reduce cost for homes and

businesses. it's now time to take these steps at a national level. for too long we accepted the status quo on energy. and now with the american clean energy secure act woo can put america on a path to energy independence, create new jobs, and save billions in the long run. i support this rule and urge my colleagues to join us in supporting this rule and legislation. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas. mr. sessions: thank you, madam speaker. i would like to inquire upon the gentlewoman if she has additional speakers? ms. matsui: i have no additional speakers. mr. sessions: i thank the gentlewoman. ill aid he lao toik yield the remained -- i'd like to yield the remarnede of the time to the gentleman from california, mr. dreier. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. dreier: i thank my friend for his superb management. american people are hurting. we know that very well. we hear it daily. jobs are being lost. people are losing their businesses. people are losing their homes. they don't want to see another

tax burden imposed on them which is what this bill is going to do. everyone recognizes there is going to be an increase in the burden on the american people. unfortunately, unfortunately as we pre-pursue green -- as we pursue green technology, we have not been given an opportunity to do that. my friend from ohio has been very thoughtful on this issue. he had several ideas i offered before the committee. one of the things i believe that we should do, madam speaker, is allow for the free flow of green technology globally. i'm working with my friend from ohio in a bipartisan way on that. i would be happy to yield to him. mr. kucinich: are insufficient. we can take market based approaches that protect the planet, respect nature through incentivizing the mass production and worldwide distribution of american made wind and solar microtechnologies, lowering our carbon footprint, lowering our energy cost, and rallying the