mr. chairman , i thank the gentleman from texas ( mr. barton )  for yielding me this time and for his great work on this bill .  it sounds like it is not the bill that i voted on , but i am very pleased to support it .  there is no more important bill in my time here in congress than the bill we are addressing today , and there is no more important bill for the state of illinois than the bill we are addressing today .  it makes all of the years of our work pay off because i think this time we will get it across the finish line because it meets the demands of the country .  we have to diversify our energy portfolio .  we can no longer rely on one fuel source , whether it is for electricity generation or to move our vehicles .  we have to diversify our energy portfolio , and that is what this bill does .  this bill brings clean coal technology , strengthens nuclear power ; and it actually helps renewable power in the aspect of wind power .  it does great things for relicensing hydroelectric power .  it helps expand the transmission grid and block the backlogs that helped cause the major blackout that we had 2 years ago .  it addresses a diversified energy portfolio on fuels .  it brings renewable fuels to the forefront in this debate .  gasoline is $ 2.20 , $ 2.30 .  consumers can buy e-85 ethanol fuel for $ 1.65 a gallon .  so what we have been doing in the past is working .  this bill addresses the supply end , and it also addresses the demand end .  we have to have a national energy policy .  we can no longer allow the country to not have a plan .  i am excited about an opportunity to pass this bill on the floor tomorrow , move it to conference , and get it to the president 's desk .  i want to commend the bipartisan majority that passed it out of the committee , and commend the chairman for his work .  