[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 14]
[House]
[Pages 18251-18252]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            MESSAGE ON MTBE: BAD LAW IS NOT CONGRESS'S FAULT

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I am going to support the energy bill later 
today, but I am amazed that Democrats in this town have convinced the 
majority party that law-abiding citizens must clean up Congress's mess.
  When Congress mandated use of cleaner-burning gas, MTBE was the only 
way companies could obey its orders. Upon learning MTBE was linked to 
environmental concerns, Congress did not accept responsibility, change 
the policy, or invest in alternatives. Congress told the companies to 
clean up the mess themselves. Trial lawyers loved it. Congress's 
inaction signaled that obeying law warrants a lawsuit. Now they sue 
anyone who might have even had a thought of using MTBE.
  Mr. Speaker, these companies did not cover up bad data. They did not 
set out to save money by cutting corners. They did not even choose to 
use MTBE

[[Page 18252]]

over a cleaner alternative. Congress made them do it.
  The Democrats' own energy chairman in 1990 admits that. He says MTBE 
``was the only commercially viable alternative at the time.''
  Democrats are quick to blame corporations, but slow to take 
responsibility for their own foolish actions. Maybe that is why they 
are still in the minority.

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