Last October, an independent task force of the Council on Foreign Relations - which included John Deutsch, the former Director of Central Intelligence, and James Schleisinger, the former Secretary of the Departments of Defense and Energy - warned: 'The lack of sustained attention to energy issues is undercutting U.S. foreign policy and U.S. national security.'

Indeed, in his State of the Union Address in 2006, President Bush acknowledged: 'America is addicted to oil.'


However, simply recognizing our addiction - and its nexus to our national security and future prosperity - is insufficient. We must take bold action to break that addiction.

Thus today, this new Democratic majority demonstrates its commitment to moving our nation toward energy independence with this comprehensive package of proposals.