 It is so great to be here, and the 20th and soon to be 30th get together for an expo that I think bears such relevance for all of us, because it's about certainly stewardship of our environment, it's certainly about innovation in our economy, it's certainly about our national security, and it's certainly about our economic growth as a nation. So hooray, hooray to each and everyone in here. As I walked up to this location, I thought, wow, we should harness the energy from the buzz in this room. There's a lot of excitement and enthusiasm for which I applaud you. I as a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and one who serves as Riker on the Environment Subcommittee, and serves on the Energy Subcommittee, one who serves on the Science, Space and Tech Committee, where research is one of those focus points on our committee. And we need that badly. Thank you, thank you for the work you do, for the inspiration you provide. Now is the time for us to get serious about science. It has always been the time, but there's growing science denial. It couldn't come at a worse time. It came so much, it came to be so aggravating, this science denial, that I've authored the Scientific Integrity Act, which will say there will be watchdogs at every federal agency where we invest harder taxpayer dollars on research to make sure that clean research outcome is what's advertised and promoted and shared with the general public. No manipulation, no suppression, no mischaracterization, pure, honest to goodness research shared from the agencies that will be conducting that research. That's what I'm saying to the science deniers in this town, in these buildings. We can't have any more of it. So let's aggressively academically pursue science. Let's share the facts. Now is the time to be those vigilantes when it comes to climate change, climate economy, and certainly the stewardship of the environment. And who does it better than the folks who advance this notion of renewable energy and energy efficiency programs? It is their cutting edge, and not only is it a sound and green outcome, but it's green in terms of dollars because we grow jobs, significant jobs that have a career pathway. The number one job right now out there for society, wind technicians. So what's happening? You know what's happening. Let's make it work in a stronger way. So we need to make certain we underpin the efforts to develop, to incentivize renewable energy and energy efficiency programs. I am distraught at the fact that the president withdrew us from the Paris Accord. It's a scar across our image to the world scene. It's unacceptable. It's saying that the agent that brought the world community to the table is now the agent that is pulling away from a compact of nations around this world, some of the largest world economies that are ratifying that very amendment as we're pulling away. Thankfully, it's a long term process to withdraw, but the statement made by this administration in my opinion is not a welcome one. We need to think outside the barrel. We need to think outside the barrel to make certain that our economy grows in a significant way. And I'm one of those folks that wants to make that happen here. Why? Because we know there are jobs related with these businesses. We know that there's been significant growth in the wind and solar and battery fields with research that's happening, much more affordable renewable energy. It's becoming an economically wise opportunity. And we've also seen, as you know, 2016 was a record year for global heat. The temperature of the earth was a record year. And as you also know, we broke the record in 2014, we broke the record in 2015, and now for the third consecutive year in a row, we broke the record in 2016. So we need to go forward aggressively with the pattern that speaks to legislation and resource advocacy within the budget that underpins these efforts to make certain that research is part of the game, to make certain that energy efficiency programs that are innovative are done with federal partnership so we can shave some of that risk. The answer is not as the President proposed to Congress in his budget, a 70% cut to the EERE division of the Department of Energy. That is simply wrong. It's blinded vision and it is not the thing we need right now. I stand vocally and verbally and strongly spiritually against it because we can do better than that. We do not cut EERE by 70%. Foolish move. Foolish move. And we don't zero out. We don't eliminate our bee. It's been a success program. I've seen what it's done in New York State. I've seen what it's done across the country. That is engineering, that is technology, that is science working in its fullest measure. It needs, it needs in that fullest measure to have the support, the hand-held partnership of federal government. And let's go forward. Let's make certain we underpin everything we do with the vocal support of you and all the efforts you make around this country. Share your message. Let us use that message. Tell us about the voices of success. Tell us about the growth of jobs. Tell us about the environmental improvements. Tell us about the needs for research so we can go there and compete effectively in a global economy. It's a global race like it was for the science and tech field when we were doing our global race on space. I was influenced as a young adolescent by that race to go toward engineering and to go toward politics. It had an impact on a generation that made certain we followed in multiple partisan terms a rather youthful president who led us to be there to fight to be the first nation in the world to place its flag on the surface of the moon. That didn't just happen. It took passion. It took passion and it took investment in technology. We need that same order of investment and passion today as we compete in a global race this time on high tech and innovation and greeting up our thinking. If you don't buy the concept of global warming, of carbon pollution, well then is it so bad to at least drive an agenda that will clean the air that we breathe and more importantly the air that we will share with generations to follow. This is about our children and grandchildren. Their quality of life and you are those partners in that significance of agenda that you've created with your industries. So in closing I would say share your stories. Share your stories with those in this building in these buildings that will be putting together a budget. Share those stories. That anecdotal evidence is absolutely essential to have the right outcome and share it with the administration. Share it with the White House and the significant agencies that need to know there's growth out there, there's potential, there's strength, there's wisdom and there's a passion undeniable. Let's go out and get them. Thank you for the expo. Thank you for reminding us how valuable you are in the American economy.