mr. chairman , i thank the able gentleman from cleveland and say that the north coast of ohio is well represented here today as we help america , through the kucinich-kaptur amendment , take another small step for humankind toward energy independence . 
this program is budget neutral . 
all it does is it allows for 30 communities in our country to adapt alternatively fueled vehicles in their public fleets , as well as some of the infrastructure to support it . 
it allows for those competitive grants to be in the amount up to $ 15 million as opposed to $ 20 million . 
so we reduce the actual amount , and we increase the number of communities , so we at least have an additional 30 . 
it allows greater energy security , greater economic security and , without a doubt , greater environmental security . 
i want to say thank you to the gentleman , who has been such a leader on this issue , the gentleman from ohio ( mr. kucinich ) xz4002270 , for cleveland and for our country . 
it is important to think about new ways of doing things , to close the book on the 20th century , the petroleum age , and move toward a new energy age for america and the world . 
sixty-two percent of what powers our vehicles today is imported , that is , two-thirds . 
this is not a sustainable position for the united states , particularly when spot markets in oil are ringing in at over $ 50 , and $ 55 a barrel . 
every family in america is feeling the pain of this . 
so this program will help us move forward millions of vehicles in the public realm that can help us transition to a new age of energy independence . 
i am very sensitive to the gentleman 's time and do not want to impose . 
