Jon Kyl: “H.R. 6, the Energy bill, is an effort to improve our Nation's energy supply and reliability, and for that it should be…”

“H.R. 6, the Energy bill, is an effort to improve our Nation's energy supply and reliability, and for that it should be praised. Like any bill of its magnitude, the Energy bill includes a variety of good and bad provisions, and it has to be weighed for the relative good and bad it will do. I've come to the conclusion after careful study that the bad outweighs the good, particularly for the State of Arizona. And it is for that reason that I must vote no. This bill will likely raise the price of gasoline in Arizona, hurt our air quality, and raise the price of our electricity, all while increasing the Federal deficit with enormous subsidies, special projects, and tax breaks for everything from fish oil to luxury hybrid cars. I support the President in his efforts to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and I wish this bill did more to accomplish that goal. As I have said, some important provisions of this bill have much to recommend them. Unfortunately, the ethanol ``Renewable Energy'' title is not one of them. The ethanol provisions of the Energy bill are truly remarkable. They mandate that Americans use 8 billion gallons of ethanol annually by 2012. We use 3.4 billion gallons now. For what purpose, I ask, does Congress so egregiously manipulate the national market for vehicle fuel? No proof exists that the ethanol mandate will make our air cleaner.…”