Mark Dayton: “this week is the long-anticipated Energy Week over at the House of Representatives. It is the response of that Chamber's…”

“this week is the long-anticipated Energy Week over at the House of Representatives. It is the response of that Chamber's leadership to the soaring energy prices which are hurting this Nation's consumers, families, and businesses. After hearing the House Energy Week touted for months, I was naturally curious about what would be on the agenda. A plan to put more alternative fuel vehicles on the road? Incentives to make renewable fuels available to more consumers? A plan to rein in the Federal Government's vast consumption of fossil energy? No, Mr. President, none of those worthy initiatives are being discussed during House Energy Week. In fact, I am told that their only initiative is a plan to weaken a quarter-century ban on offshore drilling. That is it. That is evidently the House's plan to provide relief for Americans from the high cost of energy. Not the slightest mention of the role that renewable fuels might play in solving this energy crisis. For most American families who drive passenger cars, ethanol is this country's most promising alternative to foreign oil. Ethanol is not merely an additive to gasoline, it is a replacement for gasoline, which is why major oil companies have sought to block its entry into the marketplace. I have heard from gas station franchise owners in my State of Minnesota that the major oil companies have prevented them from selling E85 with a requirement that only branded products be sold under the company's branded canopy.…”