madam chairman , i thank the distinguished gentleman from california ( mr. stark ) xz4003870 who i am very proud of for yielding me time and for his leadership . 
i want to commend four of our ranking members , the gentleman from michigan ( mr. dingell ) xz4001100 of the committee on energy and commerce , the gentleman from west virginia ( mr. rahall ) xz4003310 of the committee on resources , the gentleman from new york ( mr. rangel ) xz4003330 of the committee on ways and means , and the gentleman from tennessee ( mr. gordon ) xz4001550 of the committee on science for their exceptional leadership in presenting an alternative view to the republican bill that is on the floor today . 
unfortunately , we will not have a democratic substitute , contrary to what the gentleman said . 
madam chairman , the american people deserve an energy policy that is worthy of the 21st century , not one mired in the policies of the past , but a bill that looks forward , not backward . 
it is imperative that our country have an energy policy for the future , and it is a matter of national security that we reduce our dependence on foreign oil so that we will be able to take care of our own security and not have to send our troops in harm 's way for oil . 
it is critical to our environment that we invest in emerging technologies and renewable energy and invest in energy efficiency and conservation . 
it is vital for our economy that our country 's economic growth is not constrained by the price of oil and that our consumers do not have to pay such a serious price at the pump for gasoline . 
the opportunity is here , really , for an energy bill that would put our country on the right path . 
but this bill that the republicans have put forth today misses that opportunity . 
instead of a positive plan for moving our country forward , the republican bill is warmed-over stew of old provisions and outdated policies . 
the republican bill is anti-consumer , anti-taxpayer , anti-environment , and with its mtbe provisions , it is harmful to children and other living things . 
the republican bill was conceived in secrecy . 
it was written with the influence of the energy lobbyists , and it shows . 
it should be rejected by this congress . 
first , this bill is anti-consumer . 
gas prices are soaring , and this bill makes matters worse . 
the price of gasoline is approaching $ 3 in some parts of our state ; and nationwide , gas prices are up 42 cents above a year ago . 
when it costs nearly $ 50 for an american worker to fill his tank , it is time for relief . 
yet it is the fifth year of the bush administration , and there has been no meaningful action to lower gas prices at the pump . 
madam chairman , according to the bush administration 's own department of energy , this republican bill will actually increase gas prices by three cents a gallon and will have almost no effect on production , consumption , or prices . 
the consumer is not served well when the public interest is not served , and the public interest is not served by this bill . 
indeed , it is a gift to the special interest . 
this bill is wrong because by its electricity provisions it fails to protect the public from enron-style fraud and abuse . 
by arbitrary caps on private spending to improve the reliability of our nation 's electricity grid , the bill goes wrong . 
it is also wrong by repealing the public utility holding company act , which protects consumers and investors from corporate abuses . 
second , the bill is anti-taxpayer , and i know that the gentleman from california ( mr. stark ) xz4003870 and some of the members of the committee on ways and means addressed some of these concerns . 
the bill is loaded with tax breaks and royalty relief for oil and gas companies . 
of $ 8.1 billion in tax incentives in the bill , $ 7.5 billion , a staggering 93 percent , is for traditional energy sources such as oil , natural gas , nuclear power , and electricity transmission . 
even president bush has said that when the price of oil is over $ 50 a barrel that the oil industry does not need relief ; and yet the president wants this bill to come to his desk from congress as soon as possible . 
democrats have better ideas . 
i particularly want to commend the gentleman from new york ( mr. bishop ) xz4000311 and the gentleman from massachusetts ( mr. markey ) xz4002530 for their amendment to lower gas prices , promote energy efficiency , advance emerging technologies for energy efficiency and conservation and to improve consumer protection . 
this bill is anti-environment , as the gentleman from west virginia ( mr. rahall ) xz4003310 pointed out . 
it will open the arctic national wildlife refuge to oil and gas drilling , all for the sake of a 6-month supply of oil that will not even be available for 10 years . 
if this unspoiled place is not special enough to save for our grandchildren , what is ? 
once they despoil the anwr , nothing else is sacred . 
indeed , this bill makes it easier for oil drilling in protected areas off our magnificent coastlines . 
the bill contains other anti-environmental provisions , including weakening the clean air act , weakening the clean water act , weakening the safe drinking water act and the national environmental policy act . 
finally , this bill is harmful to children and all living things . 
the provision on the gasoline additive mtbe , a few drops of which can poison entire drinking water systems , the provisions in this bill for mtbe are a breathtaking example of pandering to special interests . 
instead of eliminating mtbe now , remember i said a few drops can poison entire drinking water systems , instead of eliminating it now , the bill gives the mtbe industry 9 years for a phase-out , and it would give mtbe producers liability protection in contamination lawsuits . 
okay . 
you are poisoning the water supply , you do not have to stop for 9 years , you have no liability for contamination , and on top of that , we are going to give you $ 2 billion in subsidies , $ 2 billion in subsidies to help mtbe manufacturers . 
the dirty little secret is that the mtbe industry knew all along that it would leak out of gasoline storage tanks and contaminate groundwater , but they lobbied for it to be added to our gasoline anyway . 
now they do not want to pay for the cleanup . 
they want taxpayers to pick up the tab . 
the provision on mtbe included in this bill , at the majority leader 's insistence , killed the bill in the last congress , and the gentleman from texas ( mr. delay ) xz4001040 , the majority leader , is insisting on including it again this year . 
in fact , this is the majority leader 's bill that we are debating today . 
madam chairman , it is time for us to look forward . 
it is time for an energy policy worthy of the 21st century . 
this republican energy bill is clearly designed to help energy companies make more money , not to help americans consumers save money . 
i urge my colleagues to stand up for a forward-looking energy bill to ensure our national security , to grow our economy , to protect our environment , and to keep our water and air safe for our children . 
i urge my colleagues to vote `` yes '' on the democratic amendments for an energy policy for the future , and i urge my colleagues to `` just say no '' to the gentleman from texas ' ( mr. delay ) xz4001040 disgraceful mtbe giveaway and his outdated boondoggle of an energy bill . 
