[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 611 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 611

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the President 
 should immediately communicate to the members of the Organization of 
Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) cartel and non-OPEC countries that 
participate in the cartel of crude oil producing countries the position 
of the United States that urgent action must be taken to increase world 
 crude oil supplies so as to achieve stable crude oil prices, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 28, 2004

 Mr. Bishop of New York (for himself, Ms. Schakowsky, and Mr. Brown of 
  Ohio) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on 
International Relations, for a period to be subsequently determined by 
the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the President 
 should immediately communicate to the members of the Organization of 
Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) cartel and non-OPEC countries that 
participate in the cartel of crude oil producing countries the position 
of the United States that urgent action must be taken to increase world 
 crude oil supplies so as to achieve stable crude oil prices, and for 
                            other purposes.

Whereas the United States currently imports the majority of its crude oil;
Whereas ensuring access to and stable prices for imported crude oil for the 
        United States and major allies and trading partners of the United States 
        is a continuing critical objective of United States foreign and economic 
        policy for the foreseeable future;
Whereas the 11 countries that make up the Organization of Petroleum Exporting 
        Countries (OPEC) produce 40 percent of the world's crude oil and control 
        three-quarters of proven reserves, including much of the spare 
        production capacity;
Whereas in February 2004, OPEC instituted cuts in excess crude oil production 
        and lowered its output quotas for a combined cut of 2.5 million barrels 
        a day, which has resulted in dramatic increases in crude oil prices;
Whereas in February 2004, crude oil prices were $28 per barrel and have steadily 
        risen since then, exceeding $38 per barrel in March 2004, the highest 
        prices in 13 years;
Whereas crude oil prices remain at $37 per barrel, well above the $22 to $28 per 
        barrel range that OPEC has identified as an objective to maintain price 
        stability;
Whereas the increase in crude oil prices has translated into higher prices for 
        gasoline and other refined petroleum products; in the case of gasoline, 
        the increases in crude oil prices already have resulted in a pass-
        through of cost increases at the pump to an average national price of 
        $1.80 per gallon as of the end of April 2004;
Whereas the Energy Information Administration of the Department of Energy has 
        determined that the President's energy bill will not reduce energy 
        prices or reduce America's dependence on imported oil, finding that 
        ``the impact of the CEB [Conference Energy Bill] provisions analyzed in 
        this report on total primary energy consumption is small'' and that ``On 
        a fuel specific basis, changes to production, consumption, imports, and 
        prices are negligible.'';
Whereas the Administration has not acted in a transparent manner with regard to 
        energy policy and instead has met privately with energy industry 
        lobbyists in crafting Administration energy proposals and resisted 
        efforts by Congress and the public to obtain information about what went 
        on in these closed meetings;
Whereas the Administration has met with a top Saudi official who, according to 
        the report of a prominent journalist, indicated the Saudi Government 
        could increase production during the period before the election so that 
        the prices would decrease significantly;
Whereas increases in the price of crude oil result in increases in prices paid 
        by United States consumers for refined petroleum products, including 
        home heating oil, gasoline, and diesel fuel; and
Whereas increases in the costs of refined petroleum products have a negative 
        effect on many Americans, including the elderly and individuals of low 
        income (whose home heating oil costs have doubled in the last year), 
        families who must pay higher prices at the gas station, farmers (already 
        hurt by low commodity prices, trying to factor increased costs into 
        their budgets in preparation for the growing season), truckers (who face 
        an almost 13-year high in diesel fuel prices), and manufacturers and 
        retailers (who must factor in increased production and transportation 
        costs into the final price of their goods): Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) the President and Congress should take both a short-
        term and a long-term approach to reducing and stabilizing crude 
        oil prices as well as reducing dependence on foreign sources of 
        energy;
            (2) to address the problem in the short-term, the President 
        should communicate immediately to the members of the 
        Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) cartel and 
        non-OPEC countries that participate in the cartel of crude oil 
        producing countries that--
                    (A) the United States seeks to maintain strong 
                relations with crude oil producers around the world 
                while promoting international efforts to remove 
                barriers to energy trade and investment and increased 
                access for United States energy firms around the world;
                    (B) the United States believes that restricting 
                supply in a market that is in demand for additional 
                crude oil does serious damage to the efforts that OPEC 
                members have made to demonstrate that they represent a 
                reliable source of crude oil supply;
                    (C) the United States believes that stable crude 
                oil prices and supplies are essential for strong 
                economic growth throughout the world;
                    (D) the United States seeks an immediate increase 
                in the OPEC crude oil production quotas; and
                    (E) the United States will temporarily suspend 
                further purchases of crude oil for the Strategic 
                Petroleum Reserve, thereby freeing up additional supply 
                for the marketplace;
            (3) the actions and policies of the Administration with 
        respect to energy should be transparent so that Congress and 
        the American public may be informed and participate in a 
        meaningful way in the formulation of an energy policy that 
        benefits the Nation as a whole;
            (4) in light of the finding of the Energy Information 
        Administration that the pending energy bill will result in 
        negligible changes in energy supply, demand, and prices, in 
        order to ameliorate the long-term problem of the United States 
        dependence on foreign oil sources, the President should--
                    (A) further review all administrative policies, 
                programs, and regulations that put an undue burden on 
                domestic energy producers; and
                    (B) consider new legislative policies aimed at 
                increasing the ability of the domestic energy 
                industries of the United States to supply a greater 
                percentage of the energy needs of the United States and 
                to better exploit emerging technologies to increase 
                energy efficiency and reduce overall energy 
                consumption; and
            (5) in order to ameliorate the long-term problem of United 
        States dependence on foreign oil sources, the House of 
        Representatives should appropriate sufficient funds for the 
        development of domestic energy sources, including measures to 
        increase the use of renewable energy resources and emerging 
        technologies that could increase energy efficiency and reduce 
        overall energy consumption.
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