Lois Capps: “I yield myself 1\1/2\ minutes, and appreciate the opportunity to bring this amendment to strike an unfunded mandate to…”

“I yield myself 1\1/2\ minutes, and appreciate the opportunity to bring this amendment to strike an unfunded mandate to the floor for debate. Mr. Chairman, this motion would do one thing: It would strike the safe harbor provisions for MTBE which CBO has identified as an unfunded mandate. This is CBO's analysis of the bill, and I quote, ``Section 1502 would shield manufacturers of motor fuels and other persons from liability for claims based on defective product. ``The provision would impose both an intergovernmental and private sector mandate as it would limit existing rights to seek compensation under current law.'' This provision in H.R. 6 transfers the cost of cleanups from responsible parties to constituents. It is an unfunded mandate, and it should be stricken from the bill. {time} 1400 Mr. Chairman, this is a bad provision. MTBE contamination has averaged over 1,800 water systems in 29 States. Cleanup costs are at least $29 billion. MTBE contamination is a huge problem, and it is not going away. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.”