Today, Senator Max Baucus and I, as chairman and ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee introduced legislation that will help reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil. The Finance Committee has jurisdiction and expertise over energy taxes and we have a great track record of producing successful legislation. The legislation will offer tax credits for wind energy without the cap that the House is trying to impose again this year. It will extend the small producers’ ethanol production tax credit and the excise tax credit and bring the expiration date in line with other expiration dates to ensure that it will be able to be extended without interruption. The bill will encourage the latest technology to meet the nation’s energy needs so we can become more energy independent. This is part of an overall balanced energy policy and it should be part of an energy bill that also expands domestic energy production in a meaningful way. No stone should be left unturned in our effort to secure a stable and sustainable energy supply.