Sheila Jackson Lee: “I see that I have my good friend, Mr. Pallone, over on this side, and I thought I would have my good friend from South…”

“I see that I have my good friend, Mr. Pallone, over on this side, and I thought I would have my good friend from South Carolina, but now I have my good friend from Texas who is here. I am sure they understand that everyone who comes to the floor is sincere. The gentlewoman from New York and others who have offered their amendments are sincere and factual. They have knowledge. I just want to put that in the Record so that no one's integrity is challenged. I am sincere, and I believe that we need to have a little history lesson as to what the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is all about. It exists first and foremost as an emergency response tool that the President can use should the United States be confronted with an economically threatened disruption in oil supply. It is also where oil can be released from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve under exchange arrangements similar to loans to private companies. Exchange contracts provide for a loan of crude oil to be repaid in kind within a certain timeframe and with additional petroleum barrels. However, as we move toward an increasing respect for climate change, I think amendments have to be in place that strategically allow for the utilization of this reserve to decrease emissions, to provide relief in emergencies, and to understand that we must have a 21st century Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Let me cite for you, Mr.…”