mr. chairman , it is my understanding that the chairman of the committee has the right to close ? 
he is the only speaker they have . 
i am the final speaker . 
i yield myself the balance , which i believe is 2 minutes . 
mr. chairman , actually the gentleman from texas ( mr. barton ) xz4000180 and i were just discussing this . 
it is a shame we do not have more time for this amendment . 
it is a pretty significant amendment . 
it is complicated , and i have spent a lot of time trying to educate myself as to what the procedures were before and what they are now . 
it could be a little bit difficult , and there is a court suit pending in california , and obviously we need this . 
i will be the first to tell my colleagues that . 
on the other hand , for the states and the local areas to give up their jurisdiction and their ability to influence this decision , i think would be absolutely wrong . 
i have read this statute very carefully . 
for instance , it says on page 13 : `` the term `federal authorization ' means any authorization required under federal law in order to construct , expand , or operate a liquefaction or gasification natural gas terminal , including such permits , special use authorizations , certifications , opinions , or other approvals as may be required , whether issued by a federal or state agency. '' you are basically taking what has been partially codified and developed by procedure , and you are trying to codify it here in what is a much tighter measure , giving to the energy commission the ability to make the decision and overrule what happens at the state and local levels . 
that is the problem that i have . 
and certainly the chairman may get up and say , well , that is not quite what it is . 
it certainly can be interpreted that way . 
if we look at this language , it certainly appears to be that way , as far as i am concerned . 
they talk about safety inspections . 
that is after it has already been built . 
so that does not do us any good as far as the original preparation is concerned . 
i think we need to do more than just consult . 
that is what the state role now becomes ; it becomes consulting . 
and let me tell my colleagues something . 
this may be more than just the terminals for lng . 
this could end up being other things , not in this legislation necessarily , but this commission could reach out and start to deal with energy lines , could start to deal with pipelines and a variety of other things , taking away the local jurisdiction over land . 
if we want to protect what happens at our homes , we need to have a process by which we involve the local community , and by involving the local community , we make the right decisions . 
yes , we have to make them , but let us not forget the states and the local communities ; and that is what , in my judgment , this legislation would do if we do not amend it . 
support the castle amendment . 
