WASHINGTON -- U.S. House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) has unveiled his Program for Energy Security (PROGRESS) Act, a comprehensive package of measures that represent a major national effort to make substantial gains in technology, conservation and vehicle efficiency and the use of alternative fuels.
The PROGRESS Act has five major components:
Establishes a bipartisan National Energy Security Commission, bringing together government, industry and academic leaders to develop consensus national goals on energywhich Congress must act upon under [image-nocss] expedited rules. Establishes a new center for high-efficiency vehicles, seeking to double the average vehicle efficiency and to diversify fuel types. Establishes a national biofuels infrastructure development program, providing grants to encourage the private sector to invest in wholesale and retail biofuel pumps, tanks and related distribution equipment. Calls for a stimulus package to upgrade the pipeline for Biofuelsthe freight rail systemwhile also providing grants to promote conservation alternatives such as public transit and commuter rail. Ensures federal government leadership in the use of the alternatives to oil by increasing the use of alternative fuels in federal and state fleets, developing biofuel plants in every region of the country and speeding development of standards that are needed to promote alternative fuels use.One of the major focuses of the PROGRESS Act is a significant investment in biofuels infrastructure in order to make ethanol and other alternative fuels more available to consumers driving flex cars and hybrid vehicles. Such efforts would work to avoid distribution problems, Hoyer said, such as those that occurred last year when there was a switch to summer blend fuel in the Mid-Atlantic region, the result of which contributed to higher prices at the pump.
It is time for America to engage in a Manhattan-style' project that brings government, business and the science and environmental communities to the table to promote and expand alternative energy sources and make more efficient vehicles that burn cleaner fuels, he said. The PROGRESS Act is vital to our economic and national security and to keeping our nationstrong, stable and secure into the future.
Hoyer also pointed to rising energy prices and other economic indicators showing how an insufficient national energy policy has increased the burden on Maryland consumers. In the last six years, since President Bush took office, the average price of gasoline has risen from $1.55 to $2.38 per gallon, climbing as high as $3.04 at the peak of oil prices in the summer of 2006; the price of a crude oil per barrel has shot up from $20-$30 to a record $74.40 in July, 2006; and the average amount American families spend on gasoline has increased by 57%, from $1,440 to $2,520.
Rising energy and gas prices are yet another reminder that our nation needs to rethink its reliance on petroleum and begin changing our economy to one that reduces energy consumption through increased efficiency and conservation and makes greater use of renewable energy sources, added Hoyer.
By establishing a nationwide commitment to energy independence, the PROGRESS Act will work to achieve greater stability in energy and fuel prices in the long-term by diversifying the market to include alternative energy sources and by developing more energy efficient and environmentally friendly technologies, he said. A diversified fuel market that includes greater shares of clean alternative energies and reduces America's dependence on foreign oil would have widespread benefits to the economy, to the environment and to America's national security.
The issue of energy independence is far too important to the future of our children and our nation, Hoyer said. Fostering a safer, cleaner, and more prosperous America requires that we reduce our dependence on foreign oil. It is past due time to achieve real progress for America. I hope to work with my colleagues in the new Congress as well as with President Bush to pass this critical legislation and take action once and for all to achieve energy independence that strengthens our national security, boosts our economy, creates more jobs and protects our environment for future generations.
The legislation, which was first introduced in the 109th Congress and is designed to compliment the Democrats' Innovation Agenda and the Democratic Rural Working Group's Biofuels Plan, will be reintroduced on Monday, with 100 original cosponsors, he said.
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