mr. chairman , there are very few things i like about this energy bill . 
however , i do support title ix , and i am proud to be the ranking member of the committee on science 's energy subcommittee , which authored this portion of the bill . 
we have included such beneficial programs as energy efficiency and renewable energy research and development in the areas of solar , wind , geothermal , bioenergy , and other alternative energy sources that will be critical to our future energy independence . 
also included are research programs into distributed energy and electric energy systems , which will make us less reliant on fragile transmission grid , and the next generation lighting initiative , which will reduce future demand for electricity through efficiency . 
we have also increased support for the basic sciences at the department of energy generally and focused on several programs in particular , such as nanotechnology research and development , advanced scientific computing research , and fusion energy sciences . 
it is a credit to the collegial bipartisan nature of the committee on science members and staff that all of these important provisions are included in a product that both sides of the aisle can support . 
there is so much agreement that i do not have any amendments to offer here today ; and as a side bar , i would like to also commend the gentleman from new york ( mr. boehlert ) xz4000350 , chairman ; and the gentleman from tennessee ( mr. gordon ) xz4001550 , our ranking member , for this kind of collegial activity . 
unfortunately , i can not say the same thing about the rest of the bill . 
drilling in the arctic national wildlife refuge and liability waivers for producers of mtbe are not going to reduce gas prices today and are not steps toward a sustainable energy future . 
and in contrast , the bill does not address increasing fuel economy standards , which is a concrete step we can take to reduce energy consumption . 
even president bush , an oil man , admits that with $ 55 a barrel of oil , we do not need incentives for oil and gas companies to explore . 
he recently said , `` there are plenty of incentives . 
what we need is to put a strategy in place that will help this country over time become less dependent. '' this bill does not do enough to make this nation less dependent on energy , be it from imported or domestic sources . 
we need a bill that focuses on our long-term future needs , not one that is stuck in the past . 
i urge my colleagues to oppose this bill . 
