[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 26 (Tuesday, March 8, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S2239]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 NOPEC

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I, again, join in the introduction of our 
NOPEC bill. I am sincerely sorry that this bill has not yet become law, 
and I hope that the situation we face as a nation will lead the Senate 
to recognize the toll that the OPEC producers are exacting from the 
American people. As gasoline prices continue to skyrocket, exceeding $2 
a gallon in many communities, we must have a real correction. As 
heating oil prices have soared, the President needs to take notice. 
Without correction and containment, consumers across the nation will 
continue to suffer.
  The relentless increases in gasoline prices are not the result of 
natural supply issues. Rather, they are largely due to market 
manipulation by OPEC, a cartel of those controlling production and 
supply of oil from the Middle East. When the Antitrust Subcommittee of 
the Committee on the Judiciary held its hearing on gas prices last 
year, experts from several fields, both in and out of government, 
confirmed for us what we already suspected: The higher prices are due 
to the OPEC cartel that sets production quotas for it members and 
prevents the free market from setting crude oil prices. The testimony 
at that hearing revealed that most of the gasoline price increase can 
be explained by OPEC's unfair production quotas.
  The artificial pricing scheme enforced by OPEC affects all of us, not 
the least of whom are hardworking Vermont farmers. As USDA's 
Cooperative Extension Office in New Hampshire recently found, the 
increasing energy costs may add $5,000 or more to the total costs of 
operating a 100-head dairy operation in the Northeast. In addition, 
soaring prices have affected a variety of industries across the United 
States, and will likely force many Americans to make tough choices 
about family travel.
  Over the last year, I have expressed concern that gasoline prices 
would simply continue to rise. I have hardly been alone in that belief, 
and I am sorry to say that my prediction has borne fruit. Sadly, that 
fruit is bitter for those forced to pay ever higher prices to go about 
their daily lives. This week, the average price for regular gasoline 
reached $2.00 per gallon. Our economy, our farmers, and our families 
need relief now. They also need good policy. In the absence of White 
House leadership, Congress should provide law enforcement the tools 
needed to fight anticompetitive practices.
  If OPEC were simply a foreign business engaged in this type of 
behavior, it would already be subject to American antitrust law. It is 
wrong to let OPEC producers off the hook just because their 
anticompetitive practices come with the seal of approval of the member 
nations. I urge the Senate to support this bill and to say ``No'' to 
OPEC.

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