Political Quotes

“On May 24, President Obama issued a memorandum on Federal fleet performance, which requires that all new light-duty vehicles in the Federal fleet to be alternate fuel vehicles, such as hybrid, electric, natural gas, or biofuel, by December 31, 2015. {time} 2340 My amendment simply echoes the Presidential memorandum by prohibiting funds in the Agriculture appropriations bill from being used to lease or purchase new light-duty vehicles except in accord with the President's memorandum. Two weeks ago, I introduced a similar amendment to the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill that was accepted by both parties and passed by voice vote unanimously. Our transportation sector is by far the biggest reason we send $600 billion per year to hostile nations to pay for oil at ever-increasing costs, but America doesn't need to be dependent on foreign sources of oil for transportation fuel. Alternative technologies exist today that, when implemented broadly, will allow any alternative fuel to be used in America's automotive fleet. The Federal Government operates the largest fleet of light-duty vehicles in America. According to GSA, there are over 660,000 vehicles in the Federal fleet, with almost 38,000 belonging to the Department of Agriculture. Supporting a diverse array of vehicle technologies in our Federal fleet will encourage development of domestic energy resources, including biomass, natural gas, coal, agricultural waste, hydrogen, and renewable electricity.…”