Tom Carper

In the new Renewable Fuel Standard, we provide clear directions to the EPA to make sure environmental protections are included--such as reducing our carbon footprint and moving away from biofuel made from corn.

To address some of these concerns, we passed a bipartisan energy bill in 2007 that reduced our dependence on foreign oil and reduced harmful emissions into our air.

But I also believe that the renewable fuel standard must be implemented in a manner that positively impacts both our economy and our environment.

Personally, I believe biofuels, if done right, are a good thing, maybe a very good thing.

I appreciate that commitment, and we will look forward to working with you and this Administration, much as we did the last.

I suggested some ways we could save money. It is easy to come up with the ways to spend money.

I was the only Senator for Delaware for 5 days after Joe Biden stepped down.

I think, America's best idea, which I think is our Constitution, was first adopted.

The President came and spoke with us, by the way, at our caucus and talked about his budget.

Mr. Strickland, welcome. I think I have seen you before. It is nice to see you here today, especially sitting with Mark Udall.

If you think that Dirk Kempthorne was supportive of your initiative, you have not seen anything yet.

We still need to pass authorizing legislation through the Congress and my hope is we will be able to do that.

The border there is critically important to our economic well-being.

The kind of concerns that we have seen, that we see every day along the border of Mexico are riveting, and they demand our attention.

I am a guy who believes in the right to bear arms, but I also have some concerns about the way this seems to be working to me.

The Northern Border is pretty big, and it is worth a little bit of attention.

I mean, we are all about a strong economy, and we are trying to stimulate our economy and pass stimulus bills and so forth. It seems like this part of the economy is going too well, and we need to figure out how to deflate this bubble.

You can't manage this kind of an emergency situation away from the site.

The two of you made a good team.

I want to conclude just by saying that we may have some follow up questions that we will submit in writing, and if you could respond in a timely manner, we would very much appreciate that.

I think we all found it just very interesting. All the testimony is very good, but it was just riveting the way you documented it.

Well, gentlemen, this has been an enlightening morning and early afternoon. I want to really thank you for joining us today.

Do you think they have more of the tools that they need to meet an accident of this nature today, than maybe 30 years ago?

Just being able to communicate their work, their role, their concerns, their efforts to focus on safety.

The only thing that is new in the world is the history we never learned or have forgotten.