Political Quotes

“I have listened to portions of the debate this morning. Obviously, on the issue of ethanol we will have extended discussion, but I am sympathetic to the concerns expressed by the Senator from California and the Senator from New York. It addresses an underlying situation in this country of which we should all be aware. The mandate on ethanol in the energy bill is quite clear, and the realization that the ethanol industry is not prepared, does not have current capacity. As a consequence, more gasoline will have to be used. That brings into focus the reality of where our gasoline comes from; it comes from crude oil. Where does crude oil come from? Most of it comes from overseas. We are seeing a price increase for a couple of reasons. The effectiveness of the OPEC cartel, which some time ago set a floor of $22 and a ceiling of $28, is shown with the price of oil up to $27. We are seeing a situation escalate in the Middle East. Saddam Hussein, who is supplying this Nation with roughly a million barrels a day, has indicated he is going to cease production for 30 days. Venezuela, our neighbor, that we depend on from the standpoint of proximity, is on strike. It is estimated the United States, in the last few days, has lost 30 percent of its available imports. These are the underlying issues associated with the debate in the sense of price.”