Joe Barton

We have an abundance of oil and natural gas in this country.

Mr. Johnson's bill is simply an acknowledgment of that and says let's use this economic resource that we have to benefit the rest of the world.

This country has been so blessed with natural resources, and then doubly blessed with an economic system based on freedom and free markets.

We repealed the crude oil ban. As I speak today, we are exporting about 2 million barrels of oil per day.

Our Congressman Carter from Georgia was just, rightfully so, complaining about Superfund site in his district that apparently nothing has been done on in 22 years.

I don't normally admit to that up here in Washington, since I am a conservative Republican.

We need to modernize the Superfund process.

One of the things that now Senator, then Congressman, Ed Markey, and I worked on 10 or 15 years ago was the creation of a northeast gasoline reserve in fuel oil reserve.

I don't know whether to congratulate you on progress or to commiserate with you on regression, but I am glad to see you.

I want to thank Karen Harbert for her help in passing the repeal of the ban on crude oil exports.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member Rush, for holding this hearing.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member Green, for holding this hearing.

Mr. Davis just said, CMS has announced that they're going to reverse their earlier policy and assign a separate HCPCS code for each biosimilar rather than have a single payment rate.

Congratulations on your chairmanship. You follow me, Fred Upton, Gregg Walden, and when we were in the minority, John Dingell, Bart Stupak.

I would encourage you to go back and revisit the finding document and get the report that this career analyst put forward.

Are you aware of that finding document and, if so, do you have any plans to revisit it?

Do you plan to use a red team-blue team approach and if so when might we expect that to start?

Thank you, Chairman Shimkus. I want to give Ranking Member Tonko A+ for the line of the day...

I had sexual relationships with other mature adult women. Each was consensual. Those relationships have ended. I'm sorry I did not use better judgment during those days.

I got that and you have done it.

Well, to me that seems overly complicated.

Well, who is the decision maker?

Should we put a limit on the number of these laboratories that handle these highly dangerous materials?

I don't have any frame of reference but it would appear to me, when you see the potential danger...

Maybe this time it is different. You know I can't speak for anybody else but I am ready to, if necessary, legislate to change the law and actually put in the statute some of the recommendations of the GAO.