Senator Harry Reid (D-Nev.) hosted a conference call on the upcoming National Clean Energy Summit which will be held at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in Mid-August. Reid said one only needs to look at a corner gas station to know that the energy crisis is serious. The summit on clean energy can lead to developments that are good for the economy, good for the environment, and good for jobs.

Dan Weiss, Senior Fellow and Director of Climate Strategy at the Center for American Progress, said the summit’s goal is to develop a consensus on energy policies for the next President that participants can bring to their respective party conventions next month.

Former President Bill Clinton said the government needs to take a leading role in making a commitment to a national clean energy policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Clinton said he is particularly excited about the summit bringing together the leaders and the American community to solve the climate crisis. Reid said the American people are overwhelmingly supportive of renewable energy, and that he is aware that a “drill, drill, drill” policy will not make gas prices any lower. (23:33)

 

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The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) welcomed respected national leaders such as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senator Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) to speak at its 25th annual conference. The National Leadership Luncheon kicked off with a $1 million donation to NALEO from State Farm Insurance Companies. (more…)

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) spoke today at the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing. Reid spoke about the momentum in the utility industry to invest in renewable generation has come about because of states passing renewable portfolio standards. Reid says that if 20 percent of the nation’s power came from renewable energy by 2020, the United States would create 200,000 new jobs and save consumers $10.5 billion in lower electricity and natural gas bills.
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The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing today on the challenges and regional solutions to developing transmission for renewable electricity resources. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) made a statement before the committee, discussing the bill he introduced, S-2067, which directs the President to identify and designate zones where renewable energy resources can generate at least 1,000 megawatts of electricity.

Reid’s bill will also provide new financing options for building transmission lines and connecting remote renewable energy zones to the grid. Renewable energy companies cannot always afford to pay up front for new transmission lines and the costs of connecting to them. Reid said his bill “is a serious effort to find solutions to the challenges of our energy security and global warming problems,” and offers funding for private companies to invest in renewable energy solutions. (more…)

Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) lists the many bills that are only two or three votes short of passing in the Senate at a press conference with Senator Harry Reid (D-Nev.). She mentions the bills that could help the single working mother and elderly woman who testified at the conference, including lowering prices on medications under Medicare Part D and overriding the veto on stem cell research. (0:47)

 

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Senators Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Byron Dorgan (D-ND) held a press conference today on “Making the American Dream More Affordable.” Reid said that Republicans are preventing progress on making higher education more affordable and improving social security and Medicaid. Dorgan said that the economy is “sick” and that the minority in the Senate keeps saying no to the necessary changes Democrats wants to make.

Treena Walker, an office cleaner and single mother, said that she struggles to provide for her children, unable to pay for all of the food, gas, and healthcare her family requires. Sadie Coleman, a senior member of the Alliance for Retired Americans, said that she struggles to pay for her medications and that she has seen friends cut pills in half to make medications last longer. Sheila Isong, a recent graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, said that she has overwhelming student loan debt and hopes that the Democrats can make real changes to make high education more affordable.

Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), said that the Senate is mere votes away from passing legislation to ease economic woes, but that the minority is preventing progress

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) describes the Senate as “surreal” due to the actions of republicans and their refusal to allow debate on issues important to Americans. (0:46)

 

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Support for democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama was expressed during a news conference held by the Democratic National Committee. DNC Chairman Howard Dean thanked former democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton for bringing inspiration to the democratic primaries and motivating millions of voters to vote for the Democratic Party. This gratitude was echoed by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), saying that it is now clear that the United States is ready to have a woman president.

Pelosi and Dean emphatically stated that electing republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain would be comparable to a third Bush term. Dean said that McCain has voted with Pres. Bush’s policies 95 percent of the time, a higher percentage than any other senator has. Pelosi said that economic stability has been “sucked out of our economy,” by the top one percent of the United States due to Bush’s economic policies, causing the middle and lower class to fall behind. Pelosi said that McCain would continue to support these destructive procedures through taxes that support the wealthy. Pelosi repeatedly stated, “We do not need four more years.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) described the climate in the Senate as “surreal,” saying that republicans have disrupted debate on topics that are crucial to Americans like gas prices, renewable energy, and torture. Reid said Obama will lead the United States in a new, needed direction and that McCain is a “flawed candidate.”

Speakers strongly stated that Obama will win in November will be attributed to Americans’ dissatisfaction with republican policies. Despite a long primary election, Chairman Dean said he has “every confidence” that the party will unite. Pelosi added that woman and blue-collar voters, two demographics that voted strongly for Hillary Clinton, have the most to benefit from Obama and the most to lose from McCain.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid speaks at the groundbreaking of the United States Institute of Peace headquarters today. Reid said that the building will life forever as a symbol of hope that the United States will continue to build monuments to peace not to war. USIP has served America well in its work in Iraq, Iran, Korea, Columbia, Pakistan and other places around the world. (1:00)

 

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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid speaks at the groundbreaking of the United States Institute of Peace headquarters today. Reid said that there is no military power like the United States, but winning the peace is much more difficult and it can’t be done by the military alone. He said that was called America’s smart power - that securing peace is just as important as winning wars. (0:52)

 

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