mr. speaker , i rise in strong support of this rule , and i thank my friend from miami for his superb management of this , as well as the hard work he is doing upstairs as we worked late last night to ensure we could put this package together . 
since he has left the floor , i want to take this time to praise the very distinguished chairman of the committee on energy and commerce , the gentleman from texas ( mr. barton ) xz4000180 . 
i do not want him to actually hear this , mr. speaker , but i want to say he has done an absolutely phenomenal job in fashioning this very important piece of legislation that is designed to increase our nation 's refinery capacity . 
we know full well that our constituents are complaining , understandably , about the high cost of gasoline . 
it is absolutely outrageous . 
i am privileged to represent the los angeles area , and we see prices in excess of $ 3.15 and $ 3.20 a gallon . 
obviously , we have seen some relief , but it is clear if we look at the history of refinery capacity , it is one that has played a big role in exacerbating the cost of gasoline . 
since 1981 , we have seen the number of refineries in the united states of america cut in half . 
it has been three decades since we have seen a new oil refinery constructed . 
why ? 
people have argued it is the oil companies that have not done this . 
an argument made , which is an appropriate one , is it has not been a great profit center . 
the fact of the matter is when you have a regulatory burden which is designed to create a disincentive for the construction of refineries , why would anyone in the industry consider it ? 
this bill is designed to address that issue . 
our goal is clear and simple . 
we want to do everything within our power to bring the cost of energy down for the american people . 
now , many have argued that this is a partisan bill when in fact the gentleman from texas ( mr. barton ) xz4000180 has turned himself inside out to try and accommodate concerns that members of the minority have . 
the combination of the base text of the bill and the manager 's amendment , which will be in fact passed when we pass this rule , we address the concerns on heating oil put forward by the very distinguished gentleman from massachusetts ( mr. markey ) xz4002530 , and you can go right down the line and look at a number of issues that were brought forward by members of the minority , including the gentleman from illinois ( mr. rush ) xz4003500 , the gentleman from washington ( mr. inslee ) xz4001930 , the gentleman from washington ( mr. dicks ) xz4001090 , and others who have raised issues of concern , and the gentleman from texas ( mr. barton ) xz4000180 has worked diligently to address those . 
mr. speaker , it is my hope this bill will enjoy strong bipartisan support . 
it is our one opportunity , our one opportunity now to step forward and actually take decisive steps to work towards diminishing the high cost of gasoline for the american people . 
i strongly support this rule and the underlying legislation . 
i thank my friends for their hard work on this important issue . 
