Political Quotes

“I ask that we vote against this motion to allow the State of California to be the only State exempted from the Clean Air Act. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to this amendment. I find it is ironic that the California delegation, which fought so hard for the Clean Air Act provisions, should now ask this body to exempt their state from those requirements. For example, during the debate of the Clean Air Act amendments in 1990, the gentleman from California, Mr. Waxman, said ``One of the most important provisions of the clean air bill is the provision requiring reformulation of conventional gasoline.'' The Environmental Protection Agency already denied California's appeal for a waiver. The EPA has determined that the addition of oxygen to gasoline improves air quality by improving fuel combustion and displacing more toxic gasoline components. Ethanol, a clean-burning, renewable, oxygen-rich fuel can help California meet the Clean Air Act requirements and help American farmers at the same time. Ethanol is a fuel that reduces carbon emissions, reduces smog, reduces particulate, and expands the domestic fuel supply by more than 300 million gallons. A much better approach would be to adopt fuel performance standards, not specific fuel formulations, to meet emissions reduction targets. But these performance standards should apply in the entire country. This is the debate Congress should be having, not one on a special carve-out for just one state.”