[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 77 (Monday, June 19, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H4658-H4659]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     LOOKING AT WAYS TO CONTROL THE RISING PRICE OF GAS IN AMERICA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Fossella) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FOSSELLA. Mr. Speaker, on June 21, the nations of OPEC will meet 
once again to determine the fate of practically every family across the 
country, and that is whether to increase oil production in those 
nations.
  Now, it is no secret, Mr. Speaker, to every family and business 
across this Nation that gas prices are through the roof. Lately, we 
have been hearing a lot of excuses as to why that is occurring. But let 
us not lose sight of why it

[[Page H4659]]

is occurring. It is fundamentally a law of supply and demand. As we 
keep down production, and the demand for that product, in this case 
oil, continues to grow, prices will rise. So not only must we call upon 
our OPEC nations to increase production, to lessen the price at the 
pump, but we also I think have to look inside our unnecessary rules and 
regulations that cause those gas prices to jump as well.
  For months now, more than a year, Members of Congress, both Democrats 
and Republicans, have tried to plead with the administration to find 
ways to stimulate domestic production to decrease our reliance on OPEC 
nations. If they want to keep those production levels at what they are 
now, fine. That is their right. I do not agree with it, but that is 
their right. But why can we not, the United States of America, find 
ways to decrease our reliance upon OPEC nations and look right here in 
our 50 States to develop ways to lessen the burden to that family at 
the pump?
  Do the math. It is very simple. If you have a 15-gallon tank in your 
car, and you go to the pump, say, once a week, you are paying $10 to 
$15 more just to fill up your family car, to take your kids to the 
Little League game or to school. Over a month, you are looking at 
another $40 or $50 out of your family wallet. Over 6 months, you are in 
the $200 to $300 range. If you do a lot of driving, you have to fill up 
twice a week, we are talking about $500 or $600 for a 6-month period 
that has got to come from somewhere. It does not fall from the sky; it 
comes from the family wallet. That means no vacation perhaps; that 
means maybe we are not going to buy the clothes for the kids for 
school; maybe we are going to put off buying that microwave oven that 
we wanted.
  What do we hear from the administration? Let us see if there is price 
gouging. Fine, go, see if there is price gouging, but also be honest 
with the American people and tell them that there are a lot of 
unnecessary rules and regulations and a commitment to keep production 
in this country down.

                              {time}  2145

  Only when we are totally honest with the American people can we find 
ways to truly decrease the price at the pump.
  If anybody thinks this is not affecting our everyday American out 
there, I think they are losing a lot of disks out in Los Alamos that 
they are so busy they cannot understand what is happening. Small 
businesses are forced to raise their fees, taxi drivers are forced to 
find alternative sources of income or go out of a job, small business 
owners who have to pay this additional freight, the additional gas 
costs.
  This is not right, and for so many folks who claim to feel the pain 
of others, we are turning our cheek, turning our head away from the 
folks who cannot afford the costs the most.
  Mr. Speaker, let me say that I think in more than the year of 
promises that were made and not fulfilled, the American people deserve 
more of a response that allows the United States companies to increase 
production, to decrease these onerous rules and regulations that do 
nothing but increase the price at the pump, and give the American 
family a break.

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