Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I'd also like to thank you for your willingness to work with the minority as we craft energy independence legislation.

I'm pleased to see language in the draft covering a provision that I've been working on that would help to incentivize biodiesel.

Reliance on foreign energy sources undermines our economy and our national security. Home-grown fuels, such as biodiesel, can help move the United States towards greater energy independence.

Despite the energy security and clean air benefits, biodiesel-capable cars and trucks have been slow to hit the market, mainly because of concerns by original equipment manufacturers for automobiles and engines. Although manufacturers are comfortable with B5 (a biodiesel/diesel blend which is 5% biodiesel by volume), most will not certify automobiles to run on B20.

Section 103 of the discussion draft seeks to clarify the definition of biodiesel and biodiesel blends, which I think is a necessary step towards wide-spread usage of biodiesel.

My provision, included in the bill, looks at the hardware if you will, and tries to incentivize B20-capable passenger automobiles by making B20 eligible for the alternative fuel credit under the Corporate Average Fuel Economy Program.

Alternative fuels receive an additional CAFE credit because they help to reduce the use of petroleum fuels or provide a clean air benefit. Biodiesel does both.

An October 2005 EPA study shows diesel vehicle fuel economy improvements of 33 - 40% and lifecycle carbon dioxide savings of 16 - 20% compared to gasoline vehicles. In addition, for every unit of diesel fuel which is replaced by biodiesel (B20), the total lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions that would have been produced from that unit of diesel fuel would be reduced by 13 %.

Mr. Chairman, I ask you and your staff to work with me and my staff on this provision and for its inclusion either in the committee print or possible adoption during the Subcommittee markup next week.

I would be remiss, however, not to say that I do have some concerns about provisions in the discussion draft, particularly with regard to the wisdom of adopting a low-carbon fuel standard without first doing some analysis to determine its effect on gas prices paid by the consumer. But I’m hopeful that the bipartisan spirit set forth by Chairmen Dingell and Boucher will prevail and we will be able to work through some of these issues.

In conclusion, I thank the Chairman again for today's hearing and I look forward to working with you on to include my B20 CAFE provision.