U.S. Congressman Phil Gingrey today praised H.R. 6, the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 249 to 183.

“This bill addresses America’s pressing energy needs and directly benefits the people of Georgia,” said Gingrey. “The energy bill spells relief.  We’ve passed good legislation that makes America less dependent on foreign oil and promotes the use of environmentally friendly and renewable energies.  Cheaper, cleaner energy benefits us all.”

Among its provisions, the Energy Policy Act:

·        Decreases U.S. dependence on foreign oil by increasing domestic oil and gas exploration on non-park federal lands.

·        Encourages new clean energy innovations and the use of alternative power sources like hydrogen fuel.

·        Improves the reliability and capacity of our nation’s electricity grid to prevent blackouts.

·        Promotes environmentally friendly and renewable energies, like wind, solar and hydroelectric.

·        Extends daylight savings time two months to reduce energy consumption.

H.R. 6 will now go to the U.S. Senate.  President Bush has signaled his intent to sign the legislation into law once it passes both chambers of Congress.

# # # #