BY CONGRESSMAN BART GORDON
On June 26, the U.S. House passed an energy bill. Leading up to the vote, and in the days that have followed, misleading statements have been made to describe this piece of legislation.
I would like to set the record straight and explain why the House-passed energy bill is vital to our region’s economic future.
The primary reason I supported the energy bill is because it will create jobs and finally put us on a path to end our dependency on foreign energy sources.
Jobs have been leaving our country for years now, and many of them aren’t coming back. As this has occurred, America has become more and more dependent on foreign energy sources. By creating new industries in the renewable energy sector, like solar, wind and water, we will both create new jobs and end our energy dependence. This is exactly what the energy bill will do.
Nissan’s electric car and battery plant in Smyrna and the solar-technology plants in Memphis, Clarksville and Cleveland, Tennessee are examples of the new energy industries. These energy industries have ripple effects that create even more jobs.
Nissan is a great example. Its new electric and battery car plant will employ 1,300 people directly, but the supply companies – the primary metal, electrical equipment, and plastics companies – will locate in the surrounding communities and are estimated to create more than 9,000 additional jobs.
The House-passed energy bill will provide incentives for the development of more industries in the alternative energy sector here in Tennessee, similar to the plants setting up shop in Smyrna, Clarksville and Cleveland right now.
Concern has been expressed about a potential cost increase in household utility bills if the energy bill is signed into law. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office analyzed the bill and concluded the following: “Households would bear costs but ultimately would receive equivalent benefits.” To be clear, I would not support a bill that imposed unreasonable cost increases on consumers.
I understand that these are tough times. I have heard from thousands of Middle Tennesseans who have lost or are worried about losing their jobs. I have also heard from countless others tired of our dependence on foreign oil. We can’t solve these problems overnight. What I am trying to do in Congress is support initiatives that will create a stable foundation for our economy and, at the same time, address other major issues facing our country.
U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon of Murfreesboro represents Tennessee’s Sixth District in the House of Representatives, where he is the chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee.
[...] Read the rest here: Setting The Record Straight On Energy [...]
Bart seems to trying to cover his rear. Obama said that cap and trade would “necessary cause electric rates to skyrocket”. By the way here in Tennessee generates the bulk of its electricity from coal fired plants.
Mike, do your research before you post next time. Tennessee produces the bulk of its electricity from hydro dams.
jonathan I mean joseph your reputation as a spoiled 24 year old precedes you, if you are going to lead the democratic party into oblivion that’s fine but don’t feed tripe to those who know better in any event here are the facts on tva generation that you desire, again bart is in trouble that;s why he needed a second press release on his vote
“…65% of tva’s total capacity is generated by coal and nuclear facilities and 85% of annual energy, in contrast tva’s hydro capacity is 10%…”
btw the city cafe thinks your’e a riot keep up the good work
Joesph, If you are going to spout nonsense about someone else misstating facts, maybe you should take a few moments and just look up how electrical energy is produced in Tennessee and the Southeast. That way you won’t just look like another right wing kook. For a start try going to this web site :
http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/states/electricity.cfm/state=TN#fuel
I for one appreciate your work Congressman Gordon. Keep up the good work.
I was privileged to work with Tom Dittoro of HDR in Omaha NE when we all worked on the design for the Omaha National Bank Visa Credit card processing center . The system consisted of Fuel Cells , Rotary UPS systems and Low Speed Fly wheels and is the primary source of power for the data center .at the time, It is one of the largest fuel cell systems in the USA. Although my company, Piller, didn’t supply the fuel cells which were supplied by United Technologies, we provided the rotary UPS units, transfer systems and low speed fly wheel systems which were used to replace the standard strings of lead acid batteries .
The reason for the above diatribe is really simple. The fuel cell technology we used in the Omaha National Bank project was developed in the 1950s and the rest of the system was developed and manufactured in Germany. As a Country we have fallen behind in the technologies that his country needs to succeed in this Century. In the 1970s, through tax incentives, were the leader in wind power but after RR became President those tax incentives were gutted and we now have the privilege of buying the advanced wind technology and systems from the Scandinavians.
Wow, I stand corrected on the hydro. Mike, i don’t know who this spoiled 24-year-old named Jonathon you speak of is, but sounds like he’s in your head. Kind of a personal problem, I guess. My name is Joseph Tidwell and I live in Smyrna, so I don’t get down to the City Cafe much unless I’ve got business in Murfreesboro. Are your Republican views as on target?