Consumer safety, public health and environmental protection must be ensured through robust and thorough testing before EPA allows these blends for general sale in gasoline-powered engines, whether on-road or non-road.

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.

Thanks for getting us off on the right foot.

Several people have mentioned the need for us to be technology neutral.

We have to be very careful on what we call a low-carbon fuel standard, what it really means, and what impact it is going to have on infrastructure and on the ability of Americans to get from point A to point B and for this economy to grow…

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

I hope that we can work together on this.

We need the tools like the greenhouse gas measurement metrics that are in the renewable fuels standard being developed today by EPA.

Is the State also making an investment in E-85 infrastructure?

I hate the fact that we have these huge trade deficits, a lot of which is attributable to imported oil.

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

I believe biofuels done right, is a good thing.

For me that's just like the 800-pound gorilla in the room.

I started my day with him and we will probably spend a lot of time together today voting into the night.

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.

We have plenty of it.

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

I would caution that we don't try to put all these proverbial eggs in that one basket.

I think it is important that we shift to a technology neutral approach, but not one that is simply blind to technology.

I described switchgrass as the grass that saved the world, or maybe will save the world.

I think that the Congress really needs to start looking very hard at some kind of time out that would put the renewable fuels standard on hold.

The State of Tennessee... has also invested a significant amount of money in developing corridors and infrastructure for E-85 fueling.

We should revisit the tax code to try to put things on parity, so that these fuels all come out on an even playing field.

But I suspect that the drop in the cost of oil is a reprieve, but probably not going to be with us forever.

It is going to take a mix.