mr. chairman , i thank the gentleman for yielding me this time . 
there was pressure to rush this bill out of the committee without a markup , but i am glad the committee made the right decision . 
we had a 3-day full committee markup where almost every imaginable energy issue was raised , from cow manure energy to ocean power . 
we even extended daylight savings time to save energy . 
overall , there are many beneficial provisions in this bill , such as resolving permit confusion , improving electric reliability , and mandating federal energy conservation . 
importantly , this bill provides incentives to clean coal technology , renewable energies like wind and solar ; and it also increases liheap funding authorization to $ 5 billion for this year . 
very quickly , i want to thank the chairman for inclusion of a number of provisions in the bill , such as the provision encouraging the siting on liquefied natural gas ( lng ) , which is important to energy security to cut into the rising natural gas prices that threaten our economy . 
the top concern of homeowners and manufacturers in our district are the high natural gas prices . 
if we keep offshore production limits , we have to have lng to import from other countries . 
we included some modern incentives for petroleum coke gasification so we can see what we can do with basically a byproduct , and important coal gasification incentives . 
energy diversity brings economy-wide benefits . 
i commend the authorization of a complex well-testing project at the rocky mountain oilfield testing center . 
the ability to tap more resources with fewer wells provides a public benefit for environmental protection . 
the bill contains a study on liheap reform . 
providing energy assistance to families in cold and hot weather is a public necessity , and i thank the gentleman from michigan ( mr. dingell ) xz4001100 and the gentleman from texas ( chairman barton ) for accepting two new amendments , one which would require the department of energy and the national cancer institute to conduct a health assessment of those living in proximity to petrochemical and refinery facilities . 
many of my constituents live and work near these facilities . 
the communities are concerned , and they deserve the most accurate health information about their community . 
there is a lot to be said about this bill . 
we have an energy bill for the first time in my 12 years in congress . 
