[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 52 (Wednesday, May 1, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H1997-H1998]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HIGHER OIL PRICES DUE TO EXCESSIVE LAWS AND REGULATIONS DEMANDED BY BIG 
            GOVERNMENT LIBERALS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EXTREMISTS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, the very people who have caused high gas 
prices in this country are now crying the loudest about the oil 
companies raising prices. Most experts say gas prices are going to go 
much higher.
  What is causing this is not collusion among the oil companies as much 
as laws and rules and regulations demanded by big government liberals 
and environmental extremists. Approximately 36 oil refineries have 
closed in this country since 1980 due to costly environmental rules. 
This keeps gas prices high and will drive them even higher.
  Environmental groups have demonstrated for years against drilling for 
oil anyplace in this country. ANWR is just the latest example. This has 
kept gas prices high, and they will go higher if we do not at some 
point get some common sense back into our rules and regulations in this 
regard, and if we keep not letting anybody produce any oil in this 
country. This keeps gas prices high and will help drive them even 
higher.
  When I was a boy, a poor man could start a gas station. Now, because 
of all the environmental rules and regulations and red tape, it costs a 
fortune to open a gas station. This causes gas prices to be higher, and 
will drive them higher if we do not, as I said a moment ago, get a 
little common sense and balance back into these rules.
  Oil companies have been forced to merge and get bigger to survive. 
Small companies have been forced out of business by excessive and 
overly costly and expensive regulations. This has caused gas prices to 
be higher, and probably are headed even higher.
  Sometimes those who shout the loudest about being for the little guy 
are

[[Page H1998]]

actually the best friends that extremely big business has. In almost 
every area, in almost every industry, Mr. Speaker, big-government 
liberals and environmental extremists have driven small- and now even 
medium-sized companies out of business, thus removing much competition 
for the really big companies.
  I was told that in 1978 there were 157 small coal companies in east 
Tennessee. Now there are none. I think this is why so many extremely 
big businesses fund these environmental groups. In fact, it would not 
surprise me at all if Arab oil interests were funding most of the fight 
against drilling for oil in Alaska and other places in this country.
  But whatever it is, Mr. Speaker, whether it is small logging 
companies in communities in the Northwest or coal companies in 
Tennessee, it seems that groups are protesting anytime anybody wants to 
drill for any oil, dig for any coal, cut any trees, or produce any 
natural gas in this country.
  We cannot, Mr. Speaker, shut the whole country down. They always base 
everything on tourism. Tourism is a minimum wage industry. I can tell 
the Members this: I have a lot of parents and grandparents who come to 
me with their college graduate kids and they cannot find jobs because 
we have forced so many companies to move jobs to other countries, and 
we have shut so many things down in this country.
  Most of these environmentalists seem to come from wealthy or very 
upper-income families, and perhaps they do not realize how much they 
are hurting the poor and the lower-income and the working people in 
this country; but they are destroying jobs, they are driving up prices, 
and they will keep on doing this harm if we do not talk about this and 
discuss this a little further in this country today.
  We need to do something about this, so that we can bring prices down. 
If we keep on letting environmental extremists dictate the agenda in 
this Congress, we are going to destroy jobs and drive up prices; and as 
I say, we are going to really hurt the lower-income and working people 
in this Nation.

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