Sound the alarm. Let's get something going here.

I'm one of those very disappointed in the response that we, as a country, have taken to what I consider emergency needs that face us.

I commend Senator McCain for his interest, and Senator Lieberman.

I will take my leave as interim Chairman and turn it over to my colleague, Bill Nelson, and say thank you very much, each one of you, for the contributions you're making by being here.

I think the ability or the availability of insurance in certain regions may get affected in the future.

What influence might U.S. participation have?

It's, again, a kind of a fantasy that persists around here that somehow or other things will get better if we do nothing.

The one thing that I can leave them as a legacy that has durability, is to make sure that the air is clean.

I agree. I came out of the corporate world before I came to the Senate, and I know something about that.

I would imagine that you'd have to examine the kinds of coverage that you're going to give in these vulnerable areas.

I personally wish that we would be involved with other nations through the Kyoto process.

the longer and longer we delay the process of beginning to develop the relative carbon-free energy at reasonable prices, the more expensive it becomes to do it when you have to do it decades from now.

I am appreciative that you are calling today's hearing on the blackout.

I would hope that the target isn't the ratepayer who is going to be asked to pick up the load because the system was faulty.

I hope so, because the public is a partner here.

I understand that some of my colleagues have concerns about deregulation of the electric industry.

Blackouts come with a high price tag: Massive public inconvenience, increased danger for citizens who find themselves in the dark.

This event dramatically demonstrated our vulnerabilities in the Nation's electrical grid and the need for mandatory reliability standards.