Joe Barton: “natural gas prices at the wellhead are over $5 or approaching $5 a thousand cubic feet. The motion to instruct by the…”

“natural gas prices at the wellhead are over $5 or approaching $5 a thousand cubic feet. The motion to instruct by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell) does absolutely nothing about that problem. Gasoline prices are averaging $1.50 a gallon all over the country, and in some parts they are over $2 a gallon. The motion to instruct does nothing about that. The President's hydrogen fuel cell initiative, which we all applauded when the President was before us during the State of the Union and which I know the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell) supports, there is nothing in the motion to instruct that does anything about that. Many of my friends on the minority side of the aisle very strongly support an R&D clean coal technology program in the bill which passed the House last April. There is nothing to instruct conferees on that particular issue. Everybody I know of is for hydropower and hydro reforms in the House-passed bill awaiting conference with the Senate. There is nothing in the gentleman's motion to instruct about hydro licensing reform. If we only want to focus on electricity, the gentleman's motion on reliability standards does not say anything at all about the need for a regional transmission organizational policy, does not do anything at all for siting authority which is desperately needed, does not do anything at all to create any new incentives to build and operate transmission.”