Speaking at a Las Vegas middle school Wednesday, Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., announced legislation she plans to introduce in Congress to repeal subsidies for the oil industry and promote the use and production of alternative energy.

Berkley toured Hyde Park Middle School, near Charleston and Valley View boulevards, where students have created a solar and wind energy demonstration project, and spoke to about 100 seventh-graders who had written her letters about the issue.

Berkley said her legislation would decrease the nation's dependence on foreign oil and nuclear power, while cleaning up the environment.

"I believe that rather than giving huge tax breaks and incentives to oil and gas companies ... we ought to take those away and give that money to companies that are developing 21st century technology," Berkley told the students.

Berkley's plan includes creating a national quota for renewable energy equal to 20 percent of energy production; giving tax credits for people, businesses and investors using solar, fuel cell and wind energy; federal funding for research into renewable energy; raising federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, standards to 33 miles per gallon by 2015; and repealing federal tax breaks to the oil, gas and nuclear power industries.

Answering questions from students, Berkley also said that, given the distance between the positions of the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate on the issue, she didn't expect a federal immigration bill to pass before the November elections.

Berkley plans to introduce her energy package after Congress returns from recess next week. It would have to be approved by a committee and then picked for hearing by the House leadership in order to be voted on.