Jay Obernolte: “I am very glad my colleague from Maine brought up the Clean Air Act because the Clean Air Act explicitly says that the…”

“I am very glad my colleague from Maine brought up the Clean Air Act because the Clean Air Act explicitly says that the right to set emissions requirements for locomotives is preempted from the States. Mr. Chairman, that makes complete sense because how on Earth can we operate a national railway system if we allow each of the 50 States to come up with their own rules about what locomotives can cross their State lines? Mr. Chairman, that is a complete impossibility. Mr. Chairman, to remind my colleague from Maine, the most nonsensical part of this rule is that these replacement electric locomotives do not exist, and they are not likely to exist anytime in the near future. The current best battery technology that we possess can store about 5 megawatts of energy in the form factor of a locomotive. Mr. Chairman, to replace an existing freight locomotive would require about 20 times that amount of energy, about 100 megawatts of energy. Mr. Chairman, this is a nonsensical rule. It is bad for the people of California. It is bad for consumers in California. It is bad for the people of the United States because this rule would result in more greenhouse gas emissions, not less. Mr. Chair, I urge adoption of this commonsense amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Obernolte). The amendment was agreed to. Amendment No. 76 Offered by Mr. Ogles The Acting CHAIR.…”