[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 77 (Tuesday, May 19, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H5779]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                IMPACT OF CAP-AND-TRADE ON MANUFACTURING

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Carson of Indiana). Under a previous 
order of the House, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Manzullo) is 
recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, we've just concluded an hour of debate on 
manufacturing and the impact that this cap-and-trade system will have 
on manufacturing. I wanted to add a footnote from the congressional 
district that I represent. It's the top of the State of Illinois.
  And near east of Dubuque, on the Mississippi River, is a company 
called Rentech that makes hydrous ammonia urea and products for 
agriculture. They were in the process of switching to what's called the 
Fischer-Tropsch process--it's an old German process--substituting 
natural gas and in its place putting coal, bringing coal up the 
Mississippi River.
  And one of the byproducts of that coal would be diesel fuel, in 
addition to the hydrous ammonia, urea, et cetera, that could come from 
that facility.
  Once the owners found out about a proposed cap-and-trade system, that 
stopped that half-billion-dollar investment in the congressional 
district that's smarting with unemployment, running as high as 14 and 
15 percent. Just the talk, just the threat of a cap-and-trade has 
already stifled innovation.
  And that's why it's extraordinarily important that we take a look at 
alternatives such as the ones suggested by GAO that can accomplish the 
same things without these onerous requirements and regulations on the 
backs of our American manufacturers.
  And so those of us who were really concerned about the loss of 
manufacturing in this country, those of us who really want to see us 
become less dependent upon the Chinese and the Indians and the Mexicans 
and other countries around the world and to look to ourselves for self-
sufficiency, to restore manufacturing in America, we cannot have this 
cap-and-trade system because that has already stifled a half-billion-
dollar investment in the congressional district that I represent.

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