[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 66 (Thursday, April 24, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S3339]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            LOWER GAS PRICES

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, on another issue, 2 years ago today, 
Democrats announced they had a commonsense plan to lower gas prices. 
When Democrats took over control of Congress last January, the average 
price of a gallon of gas was $2.32. Today, it is $3.53, according to 
AAA. Apparently, their commonsense plan is not working as intended.
  In fact, since taking control of Congress last year, Democrats not 
only failed to deliver on their promise to lower gas prices, they have 
repeatedly pushed for policies that in fact would raise, not lower, 
prices at the pump. Every week, I hear from Kentuckians who are feeling 
the squeeze each time they fill up their tanks. High gas prices hurt 
families, hurt commuters, hurt truckers, who are paying record prices 
for diesel, and drive up the prices of daily necessities, including 
food. Yet some of our friends, reverting to form, appear to have no 
plan except to increase taxes on energy companies, which of course will 
raise prices for consumers, not lower them.
  At a time of record-high gas prices, Democrats want to tax them to 
even higher levels. The reality is high gas prices are the result of 
misguided policies that have been in place for many years and will take 
time to bring down. For example, for too long we have kept too much of 
America's oil and gas resources locked up, literally off limits and 
unavailable to help America's families meet their energy needs. This 
has left us 60 percent dependent on foreign sources of oil and 
vulnerable to price hikes and the whims of foreign governments.
  We took a small step last Congress when we opened an area in the Gulf 
of Mexico to energy production, but there is much more we can and 
should do if we want to have a meaningful impact on supplies and prices 
in the long term. Back in 1995, when President Clinton vetoed a bill 
opening a very small portion of the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge to 
exploration, the price of oil was $19 a barrel. Over a decade later, 
when a million barrels a day from ANWR would have been flowing to U.S. 
consumers, oil is $118 a barrel. While there is not much Government can 
do to lower gas prices overnight, this was a policy that, had it not 
been vetoed 13 years ago, could be making a difference today.
  Democrats have also blocked proposals to increase refining capacity, 
which would lead to additional supplies and lower prices. We have had 
some successes when we have acted in a reasonable, bipartisan way, as 
we did when we raised the fuel economy standards and increased the use 
of renewable fuels in last year's Energy bill. But we will not have a 
balanced, effective, sensible energy policy until we also address the 
issue of making more of America's energy here at home available to 
American customers.
  So we want to know what is the Democrats' commonsense plan to lower 
gas prices? It was announced 2 years ago. What is it? We haven't seen 
it yet. What is taking them so long to unveil it? The American people 
are waiting and paying more at the pump each day they wait.

                          ____________________