[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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