Mr. Chairman, this is probably one of the most crucial issues facing our country today.

I won't spend a lot of time expanding on why we need to reduce our reliance on foreign energy. I think by now most of us recognize depending on Venezuela and the Middle East for our energy is not a sustainable position for the United States.

Home-grown fuels, such as biodiesel cellulostic ethanol and coal-to-liquids, can help move the United States towards greater energy independence, and can even help to clean the environment.

Early this week, ConocoPhillips and Tyson Chicken announced that they will work together to begin production of renewable diesel using animal fat, utilizing the biodiesel production tax credit created in the American Jobs Creation Act and extended in the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

I'm pleased to see this increased deployment of net-energy positive alternative transportation fuel. But Congress should not be in the position of picking technology winners and losers or feedstock winners and losers.

The renewable diesel is eligible for the $1 per gallon tax credit while biodiesel created from recycled restaurant grease is only eligible for the lower 50 cent per gallon level.

I have introduced legislation, H.R. 927 that would provide parity for biodiesel produced from recycled restaurant grease -- something that we have in abundance in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

There are numerous challenges to be met as we seek to increase our use of alternative transportation fuels -- both in terms of technology, biology and chemistry, and in terms of supporting infrastructure. I appreciate our witnesses appearing before us today to discuss these issues.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back.