[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 51 (Wednesday, May 3, 2006)]
[House]
[Page H1984]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          REPUBLICAN CONGRESS CONTINUES TO WASTE OPPORTUNITIES

  (Mr. BLUMENAUER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. We have just heard an example of the Republican line 
of why there is an energy problem: We haven't built new refineries 
because of burdensome environmental regulations. Hogwash.
  We have had the industry actually close refinery capacity. There is 
no evidence that there is an inability to build refineries. Sadly, we 
are continuing the spectacle of the Republican control in Congress to 
waste opportunities and try to change the subject, whether it is 
wasting subsidies on oil companies that don't need them or starving 
renewables and conservation.
  The latest debacle is scheduled here on the floor in a few hours, 
where they will force communities to accept refineries on closed 
military bases, with no committee markups, no hearings and no 
meaningful records.
  There will come a time when Congress will act like a Congress, will 
legislate on energy, on conservation, on innovation and prepare for the 
future, but, sadly, not with this Republican leadership.

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