I believe if we will focus and make a higher priority out of what I call "Entech," energy-technology, like we did information technology a half a generation ago, we will lead the world. We will have a robust export economy. We will balance the budget again through increased revenues and a healthy economy. Energy technology for the world is something we are capable of providing, but we need to make it a much higher priority issue than it is even today. It is extremely important that we shift gears.

We led the world in information technology during the 1990s. We had a robust economy, brought in record revenues that surpassed expenses and balanced the budget. Today, we have a gross budget deficit and a host of problems from homeland security and national security around the world. Energy is at the heart of this problem. And it is at the heart of the solution.

People are waiting in line to buy hybrid vehicles in our country. That is the bridge to the hydrogen economy. There is a whole portfolio now of new hybrids available in this country. That is the bridge to the FreedomCAR - to have more and more people step out and get out of their traditional mind set of what they are driving and move toward hybrid vehicles.

I think we will do better, and I think our tax policy must encourage alterative fuels. That's the best way to incentivize people to move forward

I'm incredibly encouraged that GM and Shell have entered this partnership. We have a hydrogen station in New York City, and we have a hydrogen station here in DC. I have driven hydrogen fuel cell vans around Washington.  Members can do that, but the challenge is that those $400,000 units must be brought down to $40,000 dollars, which means we've got to have incentives for production. We've got to have the research advance quickly. We've got to make these things cost effective. Most importantly, we've got to make this a national priority.

It's not an original idea, but when John Kennedy said we'd go to the moon in ten years, we beat that target. Some people thought we were crazy.  I hope that within ten years, we're going to take half of our transportation systems off of their reliance on petroleum and secure our own energy independence. It's doable; We just frankly have not laid it out for the world.