mr. speaker , it goes with out saying that we are facing a serious energy crisis in this country . 
since the beginning of the year , crude oil prices have been continuously escalating , and most recently have exceeded $ 70 dollars a barrel . 
many factors , ranging from the war in iraq , to increased demand from china and india have caused the spike in prices . 
while the factors may vary , the results are constant . 
many americans are suffering from the high cost of gasoline which has exceeded $ 3 dollars a gallon in some areas . 
in addition , as winter approaches the price of natural gas is also expected to be exceedingly high which will further increase the burden americans , particularly those who fall into low income brackets , will have to shoulder as they figure out how to pay for gas to get to work and electricity to heat their homes . 
unfortunately , hurricane katrina and rita did not help the situation . 
with their devastating power , katrina caused u.s. oil and refinery operations in the gulf of mexico to shut down an estimated 1 million barrels of refining capacity . 
with louisiana and mississippi being such a crucial part of the u.s. energy infrastructure , these interruptions played a vital role in spiking prices . 
both hurricane katrina and rita should serve as flashing light that we need more refineries in this country . 
while this may be the case , we as policy makers must go about it in smart way that gives us the capacity we need , but also does not jeopardize the environment and health of the american people . 
this means ensuring that we have sound environmental laws that protect , but not restrict while i am pleased that the new standard review provision has been removed from the barton bill , it is still not perfect . 
for example it does not list factors that the ftc must use when defining price gouging . 
in addition , the bill does not provide any additional penalties for those who engage in price gouging , and does not direct penalties collected back to consumers . 
further , the bill does not event mention market manipulation or price transparency . 
in contrast , the stupak/boucher substitute list factors that the ftc must use when defining price gouging . 
it also applies to all crude and refined petroleum products including propane and natural gas . 
the substitute also strengthens enforcement against those who price gouge by providing new civil penalties with up to triple damages of the profits gained by the violation . 
in addition , it directs penalties collected from price gougers to go towards liheap . 
further , it provides the ftc with authority to stop market manipulation and provide information on price transparency . 
finally , the bill builds on the proven success of the strategic petroleum reserve by requiring the federal government to operate strategic refinery reserve to ensure adequate supply of refined products in emergency situations . 
most importantly , the bill maintains environmental standards . 
before closing let me take a few moments to mention my amendment that was adopted by voice vote during the full committee mark-up . 
i appreciate chairman barton 's willingness to work with me on this issue . 
in essence , the provision would authorize and direct the secretary of energy to establish a program at historically black universities , hispanic serving institutions , and community colleges to encourage minority students to study the earth and other sciences and enter the field of geology in order to qualify for employment in the oil , gas , and mineral industries . 
as we continue to deal with the energy crises we are facing , we need qualified individuals in the fields who can assist with providing new information as to the location of reserves . 
as we are all aware , there has been a great deal today , hbcu 's remain one of the surest ways for an african american , or student of any race , to receive a high quality education . 
seven of the top eleven producers of african american baccalaureates in engineering were hbcu 's , including # 1 north carolina a & amp ; t state university . 
the top three producers of african american baccalaureates in health professions ( # 1 southern university and a & amp ; m college , # 2 florida a & amp ; m university and # 3 howard university ) were hbcu 's . 
the twelve top producers of african american baccalaureates in the physical sciences , including # 1 xavier university of louisiana , were all hbcu 's . 
while , hispanic serving institutions ( his 's ) have also produced great leaders in this country , according to the hispanic association of colleges and universities hispanics are historically underrepresented in the areas of science , 