mr. chairman , i yield myself 1 1/2 minutes , and appreciate the opportunity to bring this amendment to strike an unfunded mandate to the floor for debate . 
mr. chairman , this motion would do one thing : it would strike the safe harbor provisions for mtbe which cbo has identified as an unfunded mandate . 
this is cbo 's analysis of the bill , and i quote , `` section 1502 would shield manufacturers of motor fuels and other persons from liability for claims based on defective product . 
`` the provision would impose both an intergovernmental and private sector mandate as it would limit existing rights to seek compensation under current law. '' this provision in h.r. 6 transfers the cost of cleanups from responsible parties to constituents . 
it is an unfunded mandate , and it should be stricken from the bill . 
mr. chairman , this is a bad provision . 
mtbe contamination has averaged over 1 , 800 water systems in 29 states . 
cleanup costs are at least $ 29 billion . 
mtbe contamination is a huge problem , and it is not going away . 
mr. chairman , i reserve the balance of my time . 
