James Oberstar: “this is only a halfhearted attempt. If it were a wholehearted attempt, the motion would have included soybean oil and…”

“this is only a halfhearted attempt. If it were a wholehearted attempt, the motion would have included soybean oil and ethanol and it would have included the word ``forthwith'' and we could have accepted it. In fact, if the gentleman had come to the committee, both the Republican and Democratic side of the committee in the course of consideration of the bill, if he were serious about this matter, we would have included it in our section 219, Locomotive Biofuel Study. There is no reason we couldn't include all of what the gentleman is saying, plus additional items. But I think by using the word ``promptly,'' clearly this is just another gesture, a political gesture, to sidetrack the bill. Sending it back to committee simply delays the benefits of Amtrak. We have worked diligently over the better part of a year-and-a-half, Republicans and Democrats together on the committee, and fashioned a wide-ranging proposition for the future of inter-city passenger rail in America, introducing extraordinary reforms that have not been considered or have been rejected in the past. We have included those in this bill. We include a locomotive biofuel study. We require locomotive testing. We require a report. We require it to be done in a very specific period of time. We also require a study on the use of bio-based lubricants for Amtrak to use.”