mr. speaker , i rise in strong opposition to h.r. 3893 , which in many ways is little more than a hastily assembled -- and opportunistically revived -- retread of discarded ideas from past energy debates . 
mr. speaker , our constituents are asking for transparency in markets and price relief at the pump . 
so what does this bill do ? 
rather than empowering the ftc to launch an aggressive investigation into recent reports of market manipulation , this legislation actually reduces the maximum penalty for price gouging from $ 11 , 000 per incident to $ 11 , 000 per day . 
so much for strengthening transparency and deterrence . 
instead of ensuring additional refining capacity , this bill blames and then proposes to eliminate key provisions of the clean air act -- as if public health protections are the barrier to additional refining capacity . 
they are not . 
the government accountability office ( gao ) has concluded -- and industry representatives concede -- that the decisive factor is economics . 
indeed , far from cheering this legislation , attorneys general from across the nation are sounding the alarm that h.r. 3893 will cripple states ' ability to meet basic clean air standards for our citizens . 
finally , not content to relieve industry of its environmental obligations , h.r. 3893 extends the gravy train begun several months ago by lavishing oil companies with an additional $ 1.5 billion over and above the $ 4 billion they just received under the last energy bill . 
this -- during a time of record deficits and industry profits . 
mr. speaker , we do indeed have an energy crisis in this country -- one that can not begin to be solved by the kind of special interest wish list being passed off as legislation today . 
in the near term , we need to restore confidence and transparency to the marketplace by taking decisive steps to punish and deter market manipulation where necessary . 
next , it is imperative we make long overdue improvements in automobile fuel economy while diversifying our fuel mix to include alternatives like cellulosic ethanol and biodiesel . 
finally , we need to invest in the next generation of 21st century technologies that create jobs , protect the environment and move us towards energy independence . 
i ask my colleagues to embrace that vision and to oppose this bill . 
