Chuck Hagel: “I am privileged to be part of this effort because I do not believe there is anything more important for the future of…”

“I am privileged to be part of this effort because I do not believe there is anything more important for the future of this country than to establish an energy policy that we can build upon; that does, in fact, move right to the core of our national security, our economic growth, and all of the elements that are interconnected for the future of this country. So I come to the floor this morning to address briefly some of the elements of this amendment that will be offered and to, once again, register my strong support of the renewable fuels standard amendment to the energy bill. This amendment, as we have heard, would enhance air and water quality, reduce supply and distribution challenges in the gasoline market, and increase energy security by expanding the use of clean, domestically produced renewable fuels. Specifically, this amendment follows the advice of the EPA's Blue Ribbon Panel on Oxygenates by repealing the Federal oxygenate mandate and phasing out the use of MTBE nationwide.”