Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to yield 5 minutes to the leading Democrat on the Energy Committee, the ranking member, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rush).

Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Markey).

Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to an important member of our committee, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green). (Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Chairman, the standard that's in place has been in place since 1987 when Reagan was President. It has not been changed. Suddenly there is a made-up fear that it's going to be changed and, therefore, we have the legislation that's…

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The unemployment rate in this country is close to 9 percent, and we're not doing anything about that problem. The deficit is a real threat to our economy, and the Republicans nearly…

Mr. Chairman, the Crawford amendment simply requires EPA to consult with the Secretary of Agriculture before making any determination about the health threat posed by pollution in an area, as well as the costs and benefits of taking…

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that I be able to control the time that would be allotted to those in opposition. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentleman from California is recognized for 5 minutes. There was no…

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. The CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: In section 132(c) of the Clean Air Act, as proposed to be added by section 3 of the bill, strike…

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The supporters of this bill said they're simply trying to exempt harmless dirt from farms and ranches from regulation under the Clean Air Act. That simply is not the case. This bill…

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to speak on this amendment. The CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman from California is recognized for 5 minutes. There was no objection.

I wanted to say to the gentleman from Arizona that I think his amendment makes a great deal of sense. It complies with what, I think, the EPA ought to do under these exceptional circumstances, and we are prepared to accept his amendment. I…

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment. The CHAIR. The gentleman from California is recognized for 5 minutes.

I have several concerns about this amendment, which seems to ignore the reality of how agencies communicate, along with the well- established process for how EPA proposes and finalizes a rule. First of all, this amendment requires the EPA…

Mr. Chairman, how much time do I have? The CHAIR. The gentleman from California has 2 minutes remaining.

Mr. Chairman, the EPA goes through an incredible analysis now, the costs and the benefits and all the other considerations. It's appropriate. To add another review of regulations at EPA is to require paralysis by analysis, and perhaps…

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Over the past year, Republicans have brought to the floor one bill after another to weaken the Clean Air Act and eliminate EPA authority to protect public health from dangerous air…

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Before I go into my prepared remarks, I would like to point out that I personally have opposed all of the bailouts and the hundreds of billions of dollars that the Obama administration has channeled to different…

Mr. Chairman, my amendment is very straightforward, and I believe it will help provide the proper amount of interagency communication with the EPA when they go to write air quality standards for particulate matter. The legislation being…