[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 92 (Thursday, June 5, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H5021-H5022]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HIGH FUEL COST CRISIS

  (Mr. ALEXANDER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. ALEXANDER. Madam Speaker, I rise today, just as many of my 
colleagues have done, to address the urgent high fuel cost crisis. Yes, 
Madam Speaker, it is a crisis that is facing all Americans. From the 
trucker who can no longer afford to operate his rig, to the farmer who 
must keep the tractors

[[Page H5022]]

in the barn, or to the small business owner who is being forced to 
close their doors, the daily commuter, or the general consumer. It is a 
crisis.
  You know, we are being told that we buy petroleum from other 
countries, oftentimes countries that don't even like us, because many 
in this country see our resources as a liability, an economic or an 
environmental hazard. We have got to change that mind set. We must 
allow ourselves the opportunity to drill on our own land, in ANWR, off 
our own coastlines. We must increase refining capacity instead of 
continuing to shut down more factories.

                          ____________________