mr. speaker , i thank the distinguished gentleman from michigan for yielding . 
i commend the gentleman from michigan for his great leadership , and i thank him for his great leadership on behalf of the american consumer and the american taxpayer . 
the gentleman from michigan and the gentleman from virginia with their very wise substitute give a chance to help the consumer and declare energy independence . 
i also want to commend the gentleman from michigan ( mr. dingell ) xz4001100 , the distinguished ranking member of the full committee , for his extraordinary leadership on this and so many issues . 
also , i salute the gentleman from new york ( mr. boehlert ) xz4000350 , chair of the science committee , for his recognition that this democratic substitute is a better way to go . 
mr. speaker , i rise in strong opposition to the republican energy bill . 
it is anti-taxpayer . 
it is anti-consumer . 
and it is anti-environment . 
i encourage my colleagues to support the stupak-boucher substitute . 
this bill should be called , the republican gifts to special interests bill . 
it is a perfect example of the republican culture of cronyism and corruption . 
using hurricane katrina as their excuse , the republicans are once again pushing their special interest agenda at the expense of the american people . 
americans do not need legislation passed here today to enrich the oil industry . 
americans need relief from high georgia prices . 
this week , the average price at the pump was $ 2.92 a gallon . 
that is 99 cents more than a year ago and 30 cents higher than just pre-katrina . 
it is also twice the cost per gallon than the first year when president bush took office . 
winter is around the corner , and so are skyrocketing increases in home heating costs . 
families who heat with natural gas could see their fuel costs increase more than 70 percent in some parts of the country . 
it is astounding . 
families are expected to spend nearly three times as much for home heating oil again than they did 4 years ago , the first year president bush took office . 
let us get this straight . 
price at the pump for the consumer , per gallon of gas , is twice as high as 4 years ago , the first year president bush took office . 
for home heating oil , you are expected to pay three times as much as you did 4 years ago , the first year president bush took office . 
yet for the second time in 1 month , the republicans have brought a bill to the floor that fails to address price gouging , fails to bring down prices and fails to put us on the road to energy independence . 
as with the energy bill passed this summer , this bill ignores the real need of the american people and rewards the greed of special interests . 
need or greed , take your choice . 
the republicans in this culture of corruption and cronyism came down on the side of greed . 
this bill includes all the special favors to the energy industry that were too extreme to be included in the energy bill passed by congress less than 3 months ago . 
refinery companies have deliberately closed and consolidated their facilities to drive up profit margins . 
they are making enormous profits . 
do the american people really believe the right response is to waive environmental laws , brush aside state and local authorities and open up federal lands to new refineries ? 
of course not . 
but that is the republican approach : greed over need . 
republicans blame the clean air act for our record energy costs . 
even after removing its most extreme provisions , this bill still includes the so-called bump-up provision , which would expose millions of americans to unhealthy levels of smog for years to come . 
once again , greed over need . 
our democratic substitute to this bill , introduced again by the gentleman from michigan ( mr. stupak ) xz4003910 and the gentleman from virginia ( mr. boucher ) xz4000430 creates a strategic refinery initiative which would be able to produce 5 percent of the daily demand for gasoline when needed , real solutions to america 's energy crisis . 
that is what this substitute contains . 
if you are able to produce 5 percent , bump that up to the daily demand , you can reduce the price of gasoline at the pump drastically . 
for weeks , democrats have demanded a new federal law to crack down on price gouging by the energy industry . 
in fact , the gentleman from michigan ( mr. stupak ) xz4003910 has that very bill . 
consumers are being cheated every time they fill up their cars or turn up their thermostat by an industry making record profits . 
but this bill does not come close to addressing the severe gouging of consumers . 
our democratic substitute provides real protection from price gouging for the first time . 
we have been asking for it over and over . 
here we have a bill on the floor that will do just that . 
the stupak-boucher bill gives the federal trade commission broad authority to crack down on price gouging for a wide range of fuels , for businesses all along the supply chain . 
our substitute provides for tough civil penalties and allows attorneys general to enforce the federal law without interfering with state price gouging laws . 
mr. speaker , it is time for our nation to make a declaration of energy independence . 
this is an urgent issue of national security . 
together , america can do better . 
we have the resources . 
we have the technology . 
we have the innovative ideas , and more of them are springing forth all the time . 
we can do it right and create millions of new jobs at the same time . 
we have an enormous untapped potential in the area of energy efficiency and renewable energy . 
by implementing existing technologies and developing new ones in every sector of the economy and american life , we can take a giant step toward energy independence . 
this is not just about turning down the thermostat or driving less . 
many americans have had to do that for a long time now , they have already taken those steps ; as much as this is about using our ingenuity to make our lives better and more comfortable . 
let us make progress . 
let us set aside this back-to-the-future energy bill and turn our faces into the 21st century , toward our nation 's true needs . 
i urge my colleagues to again reject this special interest republican giveaway act and support the democratic substitute . 
together , americans can do better . 
