mr. chairman , i thank the gentleman for the time . 
it seems like there is quite a bit of discrepancy here in our information . 
many of us believe that natural gas can be extracted without endangering the environment . 
i happen to be on that side of the issue . 
we have continually increased our emphasis and our dependence on natural gas , and yet our supply has remained stagnant . 
we have tried to put in the pipeline from alaska . 
that has been stalled . 
currently , we are paying 600 percent more for natural gas than many other nations in the world . 
those living on fixed incomes are being eaten up by these costs . 
in the area of agriculture , we find that pumping fuel is 20 percent higher this year . 
we are going to need 10 to 12 cents more per bushel of grain in order to offset the increasing cost of gas and fertilizer . 
this is the margin that most farmers rely on . 
that puts them into an unprofitable situation . 
so i rise in support of this amendment . 
i believe it can be done in an environmentally safe and sensitive way , and it does make sense . 
