[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6128]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           SUPPORT LEGISLATION TO ADVANCE ENERGY INDEPENDENCE

  (Mr. WELLER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WELLER. Madam Speaker, the statistics say it all: two-thirds of 
the oil we consume today is imported. Sixty percent of our trade 
deficit, the increase, is as a result of oil imports, and today we are 
paying $3 or more per gallon of gasoline. The message is clear: we need 
independence from imported oil.
  Last year's energy bill was a good start. In the district I 
represent, we are seeing new jobs created and much investment in wind 
energy, ethanol production, and a doubling of biodiesel production at 
the local plant, but we need to do more. I urge this House to take up 
and advance comprehensive legislation to replace oil with renewable 
fuels.
  Would you support legislation that would replace 1.6 million barrels 
of oil a day? I would hope so. We have that opportunity with the 
Biofuels Act, H.R. 4973, legislation that would increase the amount of 
ethanol and biodiesel we produce from 4 billion gallons a year today to 
25 billion gallons by the year 2025. This legislation will reduce our 
oil imports, create energy independence, and it is home-grown fuels.

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