We haven't made priorities. They are wasteful projects. Most of us don't want to steal future from our grandkids to be able to do something that's really stupid right now.

I will be happy to help you shuffle that money around.

You had made a commitment to me at that time that you would do whatever you could in your power, if Congress failed to act, to make sure that that was funded.

Thank you, Madam Chairman, for holding this hearing, and thank you to all the witnesses for agreeing to discuss these important issues with us today.

It is absolutely essential that we take action.

AFBF has long been a proponent of renewable fuels and the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

We commend Chairman Peterson, Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), and all Members of the Committee who have introduced H.R. 2409.

America has to be in a position to lead.

the most important thing we can do for our agricultural community is to allow the legislative process to work, to take the time to understand the consequences of our actions.

the issue before us is the question of how do we address the current draft of this cap-and-trade legislation put forth by Chairman Waxman and Chairman Markey.

This is a follow-up question I will ask everyone.

if you were a Member of Congress from Louisiana and you voted for the Waxman-Markey bill as it is now, could you go home?

I worry that they will not be able to compete with municipal sewer lagoons over who gets that allocation of methane.

So 'no' on the present bill draft and 'no' if the EPA is put in charge of an ag offset program?

What this ought to be is about the American people and making sure that all of our citizens have affordable electricity.

So then under this present bill proposal, it is fair to say the folks back home will pay more to get less, so they can be hotter in the summer, colder in the winter, and stay real close to home?

We in the minority appreciate this hearing. This has been 7 hours well spent on a critically important topic, and thank you.

I fully expect, and this is speculation on my part, they either have a closed rule or a near-closed rule when the bill comes to the floor.