mr. chairman , i yield myself such time as i may consume . 
i rise in support of this amendment , which is very simple . 
we increase funding for research and development of hybrid vehicles . 
namely , the amendment would create a $ 3 billion program over the next 10 years to provide incentives for car manufacturers to dramatically increase their production of hybrid and advanced diesel vehicles , and for consumers as well , mr. chairman , to purchase those vehicles at a discount and get them on the road as quickly as possible . 
i would turn my attention , and i will be glad to yield at any time to the gentleman from texas ( mr. barton ) xz4000180 if he has a question . 
i would point my colleagues ' attention to two things . 
h.r. 6 makes every effort to address our dependence on foreign oil . 
however , 93 percent of the tax credits of the bill go to producers of traditional sources of energy , oil , gas and otherwise , compared to only about 6 percent for renewable sources of energy and energy efficiency . 
this small amount that would go towards the development of hybrid vehicles would allow us to do two or three things right away , mr. chairman : first , to increase our fuel standards without addressing some of the more controversial ways that came up on the floor yesterday involving cafe standards and increases there . 
it is known that a midsized hybrid suv gets 31 percent better gas mileage than its conventional counterpart . 
and the `` greener '' hybrids , mr. chairman , can increase fuel efficiency by 85 percent . 
a hybrid honda insight is rated at 61 miles per gallon in the city and 70 miles per gallon on the highway . 
a comparable traditional honda civic gets just 32 miles per gallon in the city and 37 miles per gallon on the highway . 
i need not explain to those in my home district of memphis who are paying an average of $ 2.15 cents a gallon that we need better fuel efficiency , not only for our pocketbooks and our wallets but also for our air and our environment . 
in addition , if indeed we were to travel this route and provide these incentives , mr. chairman , not only would we enjoy a net savings at the pump , but we would also enjoy a net increase in jobs estimated , according to the union of concerned scientists , by some 182 , 000 new jobs in the service , finance , insurance , manufacturing , and retail industries . 
the second point i would make before yielding is that there have been questions raised by those in the automotive industry regarding how would we define a company that manufactures or assembles vehicles , or a domestic manufacturer . 
i would be more than willing to work with those in conference , but my intent is clear . 
any company that manufactures or assembles vehicles in the united states would be covered under this amendment , meaning those at the nissan plant in smyrna , tennessee , and those at the saturn plant in spring hill , tennessee , would be covered and protected . 
last , mr. chairman , this bill also seeks to promote research and development of advanced diesel engines , which would help companies to develop the next generation of cleaner , more energy-efficient trucks . 
this means that companies like peterbilt and even averitt express in my home state of tennessee would benefit from the program as well . 
finally , the program would also assist companies like the largest employer in my district and state , fedex . 
for those of my colleagues who do not know , they are a little package delivery company in memphis , which plans to introduce 75 new hybrid diesel-electric trucks into service nationwide in the next 12 months . 
these trucks are being built by a consortium of companies , including the eaton corporation and freightliner . 
in closing , mr. chairman , this is a good solid amendment . 
it is one that has no partisan stripes , only an effort to help clean up the environment , find ways to reduce our dependence on foreign oil , and create good old american jobs here in this country . 
mr. chairman , i reserve the balance of my time . 
