John Thune: “on July 24, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed H.R. 5534 by a vote of 355 to 9. This bipartisan…”

“on July 24, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed H.R. 5534 by a vote of 355 to 9. This bipartisan legislation seeks to provide grants, not to exceed $30,000, to assist gas station owners and other eligible entities who install alternative fuels such as biodiesel, natural gas and E85 ethanol. As all of my colleagues know, the American public has been calling on Congress to address our Nation's overdependence upon foreign sources of energy. Senator Salazar from Colorado and I have a bipartisan substitute to the House-passed bill that is currently being held in the Senate at the desk. The substitute has been cleared by the relative committees, as well as by my colleagues on this side of the aisle; however, for some unknown reason, some of my Democratic colleagues have placed secret holds on this very noncontroversial bill. The Thune-Salazar substitute has the support of the U.S. Automakers Alliance, alternative energy groups, and environmental organizations that have called upon Congress to increase the availability of alternative fuels.”