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 )  , 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 )  , 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 )  and the gentleman from virginia ( mr. boucher )  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 )  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 .  