Lee Terry: “Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My amendment is a rather simple one and I hope all of my colleagues can support it. Many of us…”

“Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My amendment is a rather simple one and I hope all of my colleagues can support it. Many of us remember the devastation brought on by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. But even more folks outside of the gulf region remember the meteoric rise in gas prices and the threat of having no gas at all. When supplies are interrupted, it's critical to restore fuel for consumers as soon as possible. We continue to operate in an environment in which the fuel required in one market may not satisfy the requirement set by the EPA in another market, i.e., the fuel in Chicago may be different from the fuel in St. Louis, especially in the summertime. If supplies of fuel are disrupted, whether from a national emergency or from a simple equipment failure, the consumers can be affected in a very significant and adverse way. When gas stations run out of gas, our constituents suffer. When suppliers run short of fuel and the market drives up prices, the constituents suffer. Not every supply disruption is covered in the existing statute. But every supply disruption can hurt our consumers. That is what this amendment is doing: Ensuring that the Administrator has the authority to serve the best interests of our constituents--our consumers--when fuel prices are affected. Further, asking these consumers to wait a prolonged period of time before issuing a ruling that could restore supplies to their market is unacceptable.…”