Max Baucus: “this amendment is sheer sophistry. The effect of his amendment will say that not oil companies but the taxpayers will…”

“this amendment is sheer sophistry. The effect of his amendment will say that not oil companies but the taxpayers will pay for cleanups. The effect of this amendment would mean no increase in oilspill liability tax from 8 cents a barrel today up to 41 cents. If there is no increase in the spill liability tax, oil companies aren't going to pay for future cleanups, the taxpayers will. He has this--I said ``sophistry.'' So it is a sophistry kind of argument. It is fog and double counting and bead counting. That is not what is going on here. The bottom line is this amendment has the effect of taxpayers paying for the cleanup, not the oil companies. This will effectively repeal the increase up to 41 cents per barrel. I urge Senators to not support this amendment.”