given the current threaten virmente, now is not the time -- threat environment, now is not the time to leave our personnel in the lunch wanting tools to fulfill their mission. having said all that, i do think the chairman has endeavored to make up for these deficiencies by somewhat scaling back on the administration's plans for more bureaucrats, making some prudent enhancements to operations and producing a pretty good bill for 2010. that's not to say it is absolutely perfect. there are some areas where i would have changed and concern about. one of the concerns i have is the bill's funding levels for operational and surveillance assets. while the chairman has made some enhancements to operations, more could and should be done to equip our operators in the field . with the drug war raging in mexico and the drug supply lines bustling from south america, we must not only step up operations along the southwest border, but also increase our interdiction efforts in the source and transit zones. second, i would be remiss, madam chairman, if i didn't clarify my position on a piece of language

i have come to the conclusion that the greatest threat of the earn virmente -- environment is the smoke that is coming out of back room deals to put this package together. people can talk about clean coal. clean coal is as logical as safe cigarettes and that is trying to be sold in this document. i have to say in all fairness, what i see is a huge tax scheme that doesn't fulfill the mandates that the u.n. convention on climate change says the minimum. it does not fulfill the need of the environment. it's late and short in this. madam chair, we have seen legislation come over this floor before. 20 years ago, this body approved the snake oil called ethanol. and today we still don't have the bravery to admit the mistake and correct it with this bill. we continue the past mistakes. the difference is the fact that it will take 150 years to correct the mistake that congress is about ready to do if he we pass this legislation. i look forward to having to spend the next 100 years trying to correct this mistake. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from massac