Announcement by the Acting Chair

Floor Speech

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Mr. MULLIN. Madam Chair, the EPA currently regulates the tailpipe emissions of automobiles sold in the United States. In order to incentivize the use of alternative fuels, the agency provides regulatory credits to automakers that produce alternative fuel vehicles.

The EPA has provided greater incentives for manufacturers to produce electric vehicles rather than natural gas vehicles, even though natural gas is a growing and inexpensive source of fuel with a clean emission profile.

If we are going to incentivize alternative fuel vehicles, we need to make sure that natural gas vehicles are on a level playing field. My amendment does exactly that, encouraging the broader adoption of natural gas vehicles. It instructs EPA to provide the same incentives for the production of natural gas vehicles that it already provides for electric vehicles.

In States like mine in Oklahoma, natural gas is cheap, but filling stations for vehicles can be few and far between. Consumers are hesitant to buy natural gas vehicles because they are afraid they won't have access to filling stations.

The surface transportation bill encourages the build of natural gas refueling corridors. My amendment will add to the effort by encouraging automakers to produce the vehicles that will actually consume the natural gas fuel.

This is a commonsense amendment, pro competition, and a reform the auto industry needs. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. MULLIN. Madam Chair, I appreciate what the gentlewoman is stating. All we are trying to do is listen to the President, too, when he says he has an all-the-above approach on energy.

The gentlewoman states that electric vehicles are a clean way to drive around, but I must remind the gentlewoman that the power that they are charged by typically is produced by coal and natural gas power plants. So the argument that she is saying just simply doesn't make any sense.

The EPA has already said that their emissions fits within their profile. What we are saying is let's truly have an all-the-above approach and allow natural gas to be on a natural, clean playing field.

If we are going to talk about having a real conversation and not playing politics, then we shouldn't be playing winners and losers with this administration and the real fight, which is against--anti-fossil fuels altogether.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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