Mr. President, I urge my colleagues to vote no on this motion. As the Senator from Minnesota has pointed out, there is a better way to do this. I think we can all work together in a constructive way and accomplish what the proponents of…

Mr. President, if I might just say to my colleague from Minnesota, I appreciate her good work and advocacy on this subject. This is something we have been working on for some time, along with some of our colleagues on both sides of the…

Mr. President, if I might add one point. I think the Senator from Minnesota did point out that there are a significant number of jobs that are associated with this industry--in fact, one-half million jobs. They are American jobs. They are…

Mr. President, the Senator from Oklahoma has a strongly held view about ethanol, particularly on this issue, on the VEETC, and I understand that. I understand there are Members who would like to see that particular tax credit go away. I…

When we characterize what you called tax expenditures, there are a bunch that fall into that category. I know the Senator is familiar with that as he served on the President's debt commission. It is about $1.1 trillion a year. In some way…

If it is under the definition of tax expenditure, sure. Oil depletion allowances and intangible drilling costs are characterized, for subsidy purposes, the same way as the ethanol tax credit. We have lots of what we would characterize as…

I also ask unanimous consent I be allowed to enter into a colloquy with my colleague from Nebraska, Senator Johanns. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________

Mr. President, tomorrow the Senate will vote on a cloture motion that deals with an amendment that would do away with a tax provision that was enacted many years back by Congress but was extended just this last December. In fact, there…

Mr. President, if I might just say to the Senator from Nebraska, because I am wondering if perhaps in his discussions with farmers and ranchers in his State--I am sure the issue which he alluded to, which I think is an important one, comes…

Well, I say to my colleague from Oklahoma that I was not aware he said he supports ethanol. I was not aware he supports the RFS. If there is an amendment offered to strike the RFS, which there will be--am I wrong in saying the Senator…

Mr. President, in closing, I wish to, first of all, thank the Senator from Nebraska for joining us. He has a great wealth of experience, not only having grown up on a family farm in his early years but representing his State as a mayor, as…

I don't disagree with that. There is an issue I have not argued. It is your prerogative to bring this up and file cloture, which you have done in this circumstance. I think the renewable fuels standard that creates the sort of policy…