[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 51 (Wednesday, May 3, 2006)]
[House]
[Page H1985]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1015
                             ENERGY POLICY

  (Mr. LANGEVIN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, as of this morning, Rhode Islanders are 
paying on average $2.92 a gallon for gasoline. That is 40 cents more 
than they were paying a month ago and 70 cents more than a year ago.
  Last year, Congress passed an energy bill which I opposed because it 
gave away billions of tax dollars to oil and gas companies, instead of 
investing in new technologies, alternative fuels and energy efficiency.
  As it turns out, oil and gas prices have gone up since we passed the 
Republican energy bill. And you know what else has gone up? The profits 
of oil and gas companies. Now the Republican majority is proposing even 
more giveaways to the oil and gas industry by handing over Federal 
lands to open refineries and by opening up ANWR.
  Mr. Speaker, enough is enough. We cannot simply drill our way out of 
this crisis. Growing demand from China and India and other countries is 
going to keep the cost of oil high for years to come, and subsidies to 
the oil and gas industry will not change that. We need new leadership 
that will promote an energy policy that encourages new technologies, 
energy efficiency and creates American jobs.
  This morning on the ``Today Show,'' the chairman of ExxonMobil said 
they were in the business of making money. Well, we are in the business 
of protecting the American people, and it is about time this Congress 
does its job.

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