[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 29 (Friday, March 11, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2521-S2522]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. THUNE (for himself, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Voinovich, and Mr. 
        Bond):
  S. 606. A bill to amend the Clean Air Act to eliminate methyl 
tertiary butyl ether from the United States fuel supply, to increase 
production and use of renewable fuel, and to increase the Nation's 
energy independence, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Environment and Public Works.
  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, last weekend I joined four of my colleagues 
to travel to Alaska, to see first-hand the Arctic National Wildlife 
Refuge.

[[Page S2522]]

It's not a welcoming place--it's cold and icy; vast and empty . . . 
even the Caribou didn't notice our presence. But beneath the icy tundra 
is one of the largest oil fields in the world--an oil field so vast it 
could power the State of South Dakota for centuries.
  This week the Senate is moving forward on legislation to explore 
ANWR. This is just one piece of finally passing a national energy 
policy and reducing our dependence on foreign sources of oil.
  We cannot act fast enough: This week gas prices hit record highs. And 
with oil hovering around $55 per barrel and threatening to move even 
higher, it's critical that the Senate act to reduce America's 
dependence on foreign sources oil.
  ANWR is one piece of the solution. But equally important--and even 
more important to my State of South Dakota--is investing in renewable 
fuels like ethanol.
  It is time for the United States Senate to pass the Renewable Fuels 
Standard.
  The Renewable Fuels Standard has languished for too long. Despite 
strong bipartisan support and private-sector agreements, past 
Congresses have failed to pass a national energy policy that includes a 
Renewable Fuels Standard. Now, we have another opportunity.
  This legislation has a special importance to my State. South Dakota 
is a heavily agricultural State and the Nation's fifth largest producer 
of ethanol. The market for ethanol has breathed new life into the small 
towns and small farms that dot the prairies of South Dakota. When 
driving through the rural counties of South Dakota, it's not unusual to 
observe the silos and storage tanks of an ethanol plant silhouetted 
against the prairie horizon. In many ways, the ethanol industry and its 
physical manifestations have become a part of the rural American 
identity.
  Make no mistake about it: South Dakota's farmers are relying on the 
passage of the Renewable Fuels Standard to provide a surge in corn 
prices and a guaranteed market for their product.
  This legislation is an improvement upon what passed out of the United 
States Senate last Congress. It increases the ethanol gallon 
requirement to 6 billion gallons, an increase of 1 billion gallons.
  As we have a tremendous opportunity and responsibility to move this 
country forward. This legislation is vital to the ethanol industry, and 
will strengthen our economy, and our energy security. After so many 
failed attempts to pass this important legislation, I hope this Senate 
will finally finish the job and pass a Renewable Fuel Standard.
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