[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 76 (Wednesday, May 9, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H4633]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    URGING SUPPORT OF H.R. 1252, ENERGY PRICE GOUGING PREVENTION ACT

  (Mr. KAGEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. KAGEN. Mr. Speaker, in northeast Wisconsin last Tuesday, prices 
for regular gasoline hit $3.13 per gallon, 37 cents higher than a month 
ago, and they have doubled since President Bush took office. And what 
is worse, the price of gasoline rose even as the price of crude oil 
fell.
  Yet the Federal Trade Commission has yet to investigate or punish 
anyone for price gouging. This is unacceptable. The FTC has a duty to 
investigate unfair trade practices.
  H.R. 1252, the Emergency Price Gouging Prevention Act, gives the FTC 
explicit authority to investigate and punish energy price manipulation 
at each and every stage along the way. It brings greater transparency 
to oil and gas markets and forces offenders to pay penalties to the Low 
Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
  I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1252. It will protect consumers 
from unreasonable escalations in gasoline prices. There is a better way 
to do things in America. Let's get started today.

                          ____________________