Full Committee Markup -- H.R. 3776

Opening Statement By Chairman Bart Gordon

Today, the Science and Technology Committee will consider two bills.

The first is the Energy Storage Technology Advancement Act, H.R. 3776 which I introduced last week.

I would like to thank my friend from Texas, Ranking Member Hall, for his interest in this important issue and the work he and his staff put into this bill. H.R. 3776 includes provisions from a bill Mr. Hall introduced earlier this year, and I am glad we could incorporate them.

Advancing the field of energy storage technologies brings with it several environmental, economic and security-related benefits, and it is critical that the U.S. build up and maintain a competitive industrial capability in this sector.

Establishing an aggressive research program to is vital to advancing the development and deployment of energy storage technologies for use in electric drive vehicles and stationary applications that improve operation of our electricity delivery system.

I will offer a Manager’s Amendment to H.R. 3776 which makes some technical changes and other improvements to the bill. I would like to thank Mr. Hall, Mrs. Biggert, Mr. Inglis and their staffs for working with us to develop the amendment.

The second bill we will markup today is the Industrial Energy Efficiency Research and Development Act, H.R. 3775.

H.R. 3775 was introduced by Energy and Environment Subcommittee Chairman Nick Lampson. I understand Chairman Lampson and Ranking Member Inglis have worked together on a Manager’s Amendment that will make several changes to the introduced legislation.

I am glad to see the committee tackle such an important and under-served area as this, and I know Mr. Lampson has worked hard with industry, universities, DOE, and the minority to make this a good bill.

Reported, as amended