[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 30 (Wednesday, March 18, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H1241]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1015
           SOYBEAN FUEL CAN REDUCE DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL

  (Mr. SHIMKUS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the hardworking men and 
women that are in town this week for the American Soybean Association's 
annual conference. Earlier this week I had the opportunity to speak at 
the conference and bring them up to date on legislation I have 
introduced on their behalf.
  As many in this Chamber know, after the Gulf War, Congress acted to 
reduce our national dependence on foreign oil by enacting the Energy 
and Policy Act of 1992. This statute requires State and Federal vehicle 
fleets to use expensive alternative fuels and technologies in order to 
reduce its oil dependency.
  Unfortunately biodiesel, a fuel derived from soybeans, was not 
included in the list of fuels that fleet managers could use to comply 
with this Federal mandate, largely because the fuel was still being 
tested and developed.
  My bill, H.R. 2568, the Energy Policy Amendments Act of 1997, which 
has 55 cosponsors, will allow biodiesel to be used in diesel engines 
across the Nation to reduce harmful emissions, clean our air, and 
increase the demand for soybeans, all at a reduced cost when compared 
to traditional alternative fuel technologies.
  Mr. Speaker, biodiesel is just one example of a good clean air 
policy.

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