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DOE's FreedomCAR: Hurdles, Benchmarks for Progress, and Role in Energy Policy
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
Prepared Statement of The Honorable Billy Tauzin Thank
you Chairman Greenwood. And, let me also thank you for putting together what
promises to be a very interesting hearing this morning on the Department of
Energy's FreedomCAR partnership. Several
policies we pursue on this Committee aim, in one way or another, to encourage
innovation and technological advancement - and to assist efforts to deploy
workable innovations into the marketplace. Whether it is pharmaceuticals,
telecommunications, the Internet, or, of course, energy, the bulk of this
innovation comes from private sector initiatives. Clearly,
the federal government can and does aid in this process. It pursues its own
research and development, which has spin offs into the market - think of the
Internet's development, for example. And it can implement policies that
encourage (or at least don't stifle) the innovative and technological pursuits
of those in the private sphere. The federal government also can serve as an
incubator of sorts, or can assist through demonstration projects and the like,
where there is promise but not enough incentive for individual companies to
pursue. Or,
in the case of the program at hand, federal R&D can work in partnership with
the private sector - and appropriately so, if it is properly structured. However,
I think there's a delicate balancing act, which we in Congress must monitor
very carefully. We have a responsibility, as you indicated Mr. Chairman, to make
sure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely on initiatives that are in the public
interest - and that hold some promise of producing results. And as Members of
this Committee, with its broad jurisdiction, know quite well, we also have
limited resources, but a seemingly unlimited number of vexing problems we'd
like to address. I
look forward to learning from the witnesses about the structure of this program,
and the measures in place, or that will be put into place, that will assist
Members -- as well as the agency and automaker planners themselves -- to track
the progress of FreedomCAR, and to correct its course, if necessary. I
also look forward to hearing about the prospects of this program in our dynamic
marketplace, and the ongoing innovations and changes that occur in the
transportation sector. It's
been encouraging to see advances such as hybrid vehicles coming into the market,
and to see demonstrations of other advanced engine technology on the verge of
market introduction. When we consider the goals of this program, it's
important to look at them against the backdrop of the marketplace, rather than
just a blackboard. It's
also important to look at the goals in the context of our nation's energy
policy, which, as it happens, is one of the Energy and Commerce Committee's
front-burner issues at the moment. I
look forward to learning about the broader, but related, goals of a leap to a
hydrogen economy. I'd like to hear more about how this will effect our energy
usage, how it will effect innovation and the future of transportation, and our
economy. These are big questions. I'm pleased we're taking a stab at them
today. I thank the witnesses for taking the time to come and discuss these important issues with us, and I yield back, the remainder of my time.
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