Joe Barton Quotes (56 Quotes)

Initially, we took the administration policy and put it in the bill just to clarify and give certainty to the industry on what they could and couldn't do, ... But I have agreed to do hearings in committee, and go through the regular process, and bring it to the floor later this year as a stand-alone bill or as a part of another piece of legislation.

as a transparent effort to bully and harass climate change experts who have reached conclusions with which you disagree.

It sure looks to me like you got in control of the guild, got all your cronies on the board, you did everything you can to keep the guild members in the dark about the lack of an insurance policy about on-track injuries until it was obvious you had to say something. ... If I were a dues-paying member of the guild, I'd want new management,

We have between 1 to 2 million barrels of day of oil production in the Gulf of Mexico that's been shut down because of the hurricane, ... I think a very good case can be made today that some retailers have taken advantage of that and have begun to gouge the American people.

You're torn between 'Take care of the people that need taking care of, period' and doing it in a way that doesn't break the bank.

I don't know what it would take to make a change in management, but if I was a dues-paying member of the Guild, I would want a change in management,

There's no need to panic about this, ... On the other side, there's no reason for retailers to just jack up the price because everybody's concerned. We're going to move very quickly to stop that if we have the legal ability to do so without passing emergency legislation.

My cast comes from as far away as Fort Wayne and Toledo they're willing to make the hour's drive just to be in it.

If I were a dues-paying member of the Jockeys' Guild, ... I'd want some new management.

I don't see net neutrality as a necessary element. I think that if we can reach an agreement, it would be a positive addition to the bill.

Our flag honors those who have fought to protect it, and is a reminder of the sacrifice of our nation's founders and heroes. As the ultimate icon of America's storied history, the Stars and Stripes represents the very best of this nation.

We use 21 million barrels of oil a day, and only have the refining capacity for 16 million on a good day, ... And after Katrina and Rita, we haven't had many good days.

I think there may be a need at the retail level to make sure we have adequate enforcement tools to prevent pure price gouging,

How I vote on final passage right now is between me and my maker.

We cannot stop hurricanes, but we can mitigate some of these adverse impacts on our energy infrastructure and our economy that hurricanes can have. We need to tackle this problem for one simple reason Our country needs more oil refineries because the people who work for a living need gasoline to get to work.

At a minimum, we want to see some on-track catastrophic insurance in place as soon as possible for on-track injuries, ... and then we want to go from there to start cleaning up this.

The president will make a decision to use the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in the next couple of days.

Releasing an equivalent amount of oil from the reserve for a short period of time will help keep fuel supplies adequate, not just for the Gulf Coast area, but for all the United States.

Then Hurricane Katrina hit, and energy is back on the agenda big time,

In 1981, there were 324 operating refineries in the boundaries of the United States. Today there are 148. Do the math. There are a lot of reasons for it, but one of the reasons is the law as it exists today, ... What company's board of directors in its right mind would want to go through this complicated process and tie up billions of dollars for years and years if they weren't certain whether this process would wrap up in a timely fashion

He and I agreed on the net-neutrality principle. Like every other American, Gates wants to know what the details are in the bill. Again, when the time comes, he'll know.

I would submit to you that Medicaid in its current form is already hurting the poor, ... This committee will not stand by and do nothing while Medicaid slowly collapses.

I think a good case can be made today that some retailers may have taken advantage of the Katrina emergency. If that's true, that is something that needs to be investigated and, in all probability, prosecuted,

I can only guess at the excuses that will be offered by people who profit by engaging in an obvious fraud, by invading personal privacy, and by assisting criminal behavior.

I would vote against it and I would encourage others to vote against it,

I tell my environmental friends that they have won. Every issue we look at from an energy perspective is now also looked at from an environmental perspective.

We could be drilling in Alaska right now we could be drilling off the coasts of several other states, ... It would make a difference today if we were not as restrictive as we've been in the last 20 years about where we drill.

Let the market work. Competition will drive investment.

Obviously you have to keep the dancing in the Bob Fosse style, but Becky has come up with some very original choreography for us.

Our country needs more oil refineries because the people who work for a living need gasoline to get to work, ... These are the people who earn paychecks and buy groceries and pay their bills, including their taxes. That means they use gasoline every day. They need it, and they need it at a price they can afford to pay.

We have witness after witness that's testified to the staff and answered questions today that they thought they were still being covered,

I teach at Bowling Green's State University summer musical camp, where she was one of my students. She has a real mature sound to her voice even though she's just 19.

This is a way for the House to send a signal on this particular treaty.

If there is a silver lining in this tragic situation, it may be that our country understands how fragile our energy sector is. ... We can't just get our oil and gas from Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and the Gulf of Mexico. We need to diversify our domestic oil resources.

Americans are rightfully concerned that identity thieves, stalkers and unscrupulous data brokers can access such information they believed was kept private by their telephone company.

I'm very disappointed to learn that, four years later, we still have a problem with interoperability,

Medicaid is a victim of its own success. The program has grown so expansive that it is unsustainable in its current form, ... The reforms we are offering on Thursday will help to save the program while at the same time protecting the poorest of our society.

You need a leadership team that's ready to go to work next week, not next summer.

Let's wait and see how this all turns out. I don't think we are quite ready to say what Net neutrality is.

If you want to see real shortages and a black market, then put price controls back on,

You've done not a darn thing except to obfuscate and not obey the subpoenas of this committee.

It is unfortunate that it takes a hurricane like Katrina or Rita to show us just how acute the problem is. Now is the time to start to correct this problem and build more refineries in the United States.

It's a travesty that we even have to have this hearing.

The American flag is an enduring symbol of liberty, democracy, and justice. It is fitting that the House act to protect it as we approach our nation's birthday, and as our men and women in uniform rally behind it in Iraq's battlefields.

We all know who will be the first to complain about natural gas prices this winter. And everybody here knows who will blame high prices on a corporate conspiracy, don't we But the real conspirators seem to be New England and places like Fall River, Mass.

This would definitely limit states' flexibility, ... And again the underlying basis of the bill is to give states more flexibility, not less flexibility.

He's (Bryan) been one of the leaders. He's been ahead of the curve on a consistent basis.

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 spurred the development of telephone competition, but no one could have foreseen the magnitude of the challenges and opportunities that the Internet age has presented, ... New services shouldn't be hamstrung by old thinking and outdated regulations.

Americans would never allow a stranger at their front door access to the level of personal, private information about them that is being let out the cyber door,

We can be responsible ... or we can throw caution to the wind and basically have the U.S. Treasury spend over 10 (billion) to 12 billion if everybody took advantage of the program.