James Oberstar: “Reclaiming my time, the issue again, I state very clearly, is not differentiation. The issue I am raising here is what…”

“Reclaiming my time, the issue again, I state very clearly, is not differentiation. The issue I am raising here is what are the laws under which differentiation is to take place. There is no listing. There is a broad, sweeping grant of authority, and that is the matter that concerns me. Yes, there should be a differentiation. But under which laws? How broadly? How narrowly? How specifically is this language to be drawn? How specifically is it to be targeted? As my colleagues know, we did that in the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. We were very careful about it. This bill is just a broad, sweeping generalization. I do not think it is appropriate to do that. We must be more specific about the laws that are going to be affected. Now, as to the matter of differentiation, that is a matter of substantive debate, and we could have a discussion on whether the edible oil industry is appropriate in their concern that the oil they produce should not be considered in the same breath with the toxic effects of certain petroleums or petroleum derivatives, and that is an entirely different matter. But, as I said in my opening remarks, we have had our own experience in Minnesota where with the soybean oil spill there were toxic effects. Nontoxic substances in high amounts can have toxic effects. They ought to be considered separately and appropriately.”