Analysis · Speech on a bill · beta

Kevin Kiley

Independent on Providing for Congressional Disapproval of the Rule Submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency Relating to California State Nonroad Engine Pollution Control Standards; Ocean-Going Vessels At... 2026-09-15

356 words · 17 sentences · 28 clauses

Statement grade

A+

Average 99 / 100

A score under 50 is red. Choose a measurement to see where it lost points and why; choose it again to clear.

Claims 78%Reasoning 9%Procedure 1%Promise 9%Positioning 2%

This view breaks the statement into its steps and names what each one does.

Mr. Speaker, Claims · 110 wordsI am supporting this resolution today for a simple reason, and that is that it will stop gas prices from getting even higher in California. We simply can’t afford it. Prices are approaching $6 on average statewide, far more than any other State.¹ We have the highest cost of living in the country, ²and Californians cannot afford more to be piled on. Now, I believe that air quality is vitally important at our docks, and I take no issue at all with California’s longstanding program of 20 years that requires container ships, passenger ships, ³and reefer ships to plug in rather than have their engines idle when they are docked. Reasoning · 32 wordsIndeed, with this newest rule, I would not be supporting this resolution if the rule only concerned the roll-on/roll-off vessels, because there are workable solutions there for plugging in when they dock, Claims · 111 wordsbut CARB overreached. The California Air Resources Board overreached. For the first time, they decided to apply this rule to tanker boilers.⁴ The problem is the technology for them just isn’t there yet, so virtually none of them are going to be able to comply. What does that mean? It means, number one, there is not going to be any improvement in air quality. But, number two, for every hour that they are docked, they are going to be racking up thousands of dollars in fines, which could accumulate to literally billions of dollars, which, of course, will be passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices for gasoline. Mr. Speaker, Claims · 41 wordsI have made a promise to my constituents to be a check on both Sacramento and Washington when they overreach. In this instance, Sacramento has overreached, and we have the ability to push back and to protect affordability in our State. Procedure · 5 wordsBut, in the same vein, ProcedurePromise · 32 wordsif California wants to come up with a workable rule that applies to vessels that have the requisite technology, then I would oppose any effort here in Washington to interfere with that. Claims · 17 wordsYou see, we can make our State more affordable while protecting our environment at the same time. Positioning · 8 wordsAll we need is a little common sense.Positioning

At a glance

Lost points for

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 96

2 of 2 deductions are Signal

Signal checks whether every part makes a point, gives a reason, or asks for action. A low score means the speaker filled time with fluff, pleasantries, or attacks.

Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “But, in the same vein,”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “All we need is a little common sense.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · 100

0 of 2 deductions are Relevance

Relevance checks whether the speaker stays on topic and answers the question asked. A low score means the speaker dodged the issue. Measured against the bill under debate.

Nothing lost points.

Respect · no score

Not checked: graded before this measurement existed. Excluded from the average.

Respect checks whether the speaker argued with people’s positions and records rather than attacking the people: insults, mockery, or bad motives assigned to them. Criticism of what someone did, however strong, is not marked.

Clarity · 100

0 of 2 deductions are Clarity

Clarity checks for plain speaking, clear ownership of actions, and honest limits on certainty. A low score means vague promises or evasive language.

Nothing lost points.

Claims · 4

This list shows the factual statements you can check for yourself: the words as said, and the claim restated to stand on its own.

1“Prices are approaching $6 on average statewide, far more than any other State”California’s average gasoline price in September 2026 was approaching $6 per gallon, higher than any other state.search
2“the highest cost of living in the country”California has the highest cost of living of any U.S. state.search
3“California’s longstanding program of 20 years”California has had a program for roughly 20 years requiring ships at berth to plug in to shore power rather than idle their engines.search
4“For the first time, they decided to apply this rule to tanker boilers”CARB’s amended At-Berth Regulation, as authorized by the EPA, applies the shore-power requirements to tanker boilers for the first time.search

Analyzed on 2026-10-17