[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 63 (Thursday, April 19, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S4753]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. INHOFE:
  S. 1158. A bill to amend the Clean Air Act to increase the use of 
renewable and alternative fuel, and for other purposes; to the 
Committee on Environment and Public Works.
  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Alternative 
Fuel Standard Act. The bill that I am introducing today reflects the 
President's draft legislation to which he referred in his State of the 
Union.
  Although I may have some questions with the particulars of the 
President's plan, he and I share the common goal of increasing domestic 
energy security without compromising environmental quality.
  As the committee of principal jurisdiction, the Committee on 
Environment and Public Works has a long history of moving fuels 
legislation. While chairman, I successfully discharged legislation that 
served as the historic fuels title to the comprehensive energy bill. 
That renewable fuels plan was the product of years of hearings, 
negotiation, and debate. The President's initiative deserves the same 
amount of attention.
  According to a Labor Department report this month, most of the 
country's inflation can be directly attributed to higher gas prices. 
The USDA's Economic Research Service concluded that high gas prices 
will increase food costs in 2007; the Service noted that the food 
consumer price index increased at an annual rate of 2.3 percent in 2006 
and will increase 2.5 percent to 3.5 percent.
  The Energy Information Administration's April 2007 Outlook noted that 
the higher prices are due to continued international tensions, the 
conversion to summer blends, and unanticipated refinery problems.
  AAA found that the average national price for gasoline is $2.87 up 
from $2.55 just a month earlier. Yet those national high prices seem 
low compared to California. AAA of Northern California noted that the 
average price for gasoline is $3.41 in Oakland, $3.53 in San Francisco, 
and averages $3.34 statewide.
  The bottom line--supply source instability and inadequate domestic 
infrastructure have and will continue to contribute to high prices and 
inflation unless Congress does something about it. The President's 
ambitious proposal seeks to alleviate those concerns by sourcing new 
supply domestically.
  The proposal that I am introducing would amend the Clean Air Act's 
existing renewable fuels standard by diversifying the types of 
qualifying fuels and increasing the volumes. Qualifying alternative 
fuels will be expanded to include fuels derived from gas and coal, and 
hydrogen, among others.
  Cellulosic biomass ethanol is a promising technology that could 
significantly increase fuel supplies without compromising the food and 
feed prices. I am proud to say that some of the foremost research in 
the field is being done in my own State of Oklahoma, including a team 
at the Noble Foundation. Their work is engineering high energy and 
perennial crops that can be grown across the country.
  Similarly, coal-to-liquids fuels could be the greatest domestic 
energy resource of all time. I have been promoting the technology for 
years, particularly for defense aircraft, but now is the time to expand 
this super clean fuel for use across America.
  The plan would replace the current RFS by requiring 10 billion 
gallons of alternative fuel to be used in 2010 and increasing to 35 
billion gallons by 2018. The bill similarly builds upon the current RFS 
by requiring EPA to incorporate the newer qualifying fuels into the 
credit trading system.
  I have been seeking to increase U.S. energy security for years. I am 
glad that the President has stepped up and taken this issue head-on. 
The proposal deserves careful and proper consideration. The American 
people require as much. I look forward to working with my colleagues to 
improve U.S. domestic energy security while fully considering public 
health and welfare.
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