Rodney Frelinghuysen: “I am prepared to accept the amendment offered by the gentleman from Texas. His amendment strengthens national security…”

“I am prepared to accept the amendment offered by the gentleman from Texas. His amendment strengthens national security by allowing the Federal Government more alternatives to imported petroleum fuels. More than half of the oil the Nation consumes each year is imported, as we know, and today the price of gasoline is hovering around the $4- a-gallon mark. By declaring some new fuel options to be off limits, section 526 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 limits our Nation's ability to reduce its dependence on oil imports. His amendment puts all alternatives back on the table, which I think is needed, so the Nation can begin to develop and use fuels that are made with resources from here in the United States. Energy self- sufficiency is a national security issue, and this amendment takes us in the right direction. I am pleased to support the gentleman's amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.”