Political Quotes

“Madam Chairman, I rise to offer an amendment which addresses another restrictive and misguided Federal regulation. Section 526 of the Energy Independence and Security Act prohibits Federal agencies from entering into contracts for the procurement of an alternative fuel unless its lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions are less than or equal to emissions from an equivalent conventional fuel produced from conventional petroleum sources. In summary, my amendment would stop the government from enforcing this ban on all Federal agencies funded by the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill. The initial purpose of section 526 was to stifle the Defense Department's plan to buy and develop coal-based or coal-to-liquids jet fuels. This restriction was based on the opinion of environmentalists that coal-based jet fuel produces more greenhouse gas emissions than traditional petroleum. We must ensure that our military has adequate fuel resources and can efficiently rely on domestic and more stable sources of fuel. But section 526's ban on fuel choice now affects all Federal agencies, not just the Defense Department. This is why I'm offering this amendment today to the DHS appropriations bill. Federal agencies should not be burdened with wasting their time studying fuel emissions when there is a simple fix, and that fix is to not restrict Federal Government fuel choices based on extreme environmental views, unsound policies, and misguided regulations like those in section 526.…”