I appreciate you all being here. Chairman Davis and I are interested in improving the system, if we can, and helping the people out there that need help.

I hope that we can find the additional funding to let you continue to provide that good service.

At what point do we use tax policy to drive some of these decisions, rather than having tax policy driving all of our energy decisions in a very incoherent way?

the two Subcommittees will hold a joint hearing on the intersection of energy policy and tax policy

It is encouraging that steps are now being taken to remedy some of these problems.

We clearly have to understand that this growing complexity in the Tax Code is a problem we have to address.

With so much of our energy policy driven by the Tax Code, comprehensive tax reform needs to consider whether these tax incentives promote a sound energy strategy.

I think it is pretty clear right now across the country that we don't have a real coherent energy strategy.

Don't push policies that will punish your current energy production.

Natural gas is really the only alternative at this stage.

I was reluctant. I looked at this bill, the Nat Gas Act, I said, 'Well, it is going counter to what we want to do with tax reform.'

We could do a lot for our country if we were to do all these things.

Now they are retrofitting, planning a retrofit to export natural gas, which we would have never thought this, five years ago.

First, don't punish your current energy production.

It is not inconceivable that just without any strategy--this is the markets working, looking to find this stuff, getting access right now on private lands.

I am certainly concerned about our competitiveness, especially with the chemical industry in my state

We are a leader in oil and gas production, we have got lots of pipelines.

And it is exceedingly frustrating to me to see that we don't have a strategy, going forward, for our country on energy security and to move us forward.