[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 104 (Monday, June 23, 2008)]
[House]
[Page H5800]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           GAS PRICES AND ENERGY SUPPLY IN THE UNITED STATES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Price) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Madam Speaker, here it is, Monday, at 12:38 
p.m. We find the House back in order for another week. What will we be 
doing this week?
  Well, Madam Speaker, we're going to pass a bill that recognizes the 
achievements of America's high school valedictorians of the class of 
2008. We're going to pass a bill honoring the life and musical 
accomplishments and contributions of Louis Jordan on the 100th 
anniversary of his birth. We're going to pass a bill that recognizes 
Pittsfield, Massachusetts as being the home of the earliest known 
reference to the word ``baseball'' in the United States. We're going to 
pass a bill supporting the goals and ideals of Black Music Month and to 
honor the outstanding contributions of African American singers. We're 
going to pass a bill expressing the sense of Congress that schools in 
the United States should honor the contributions of individuals from 
the territories of the United States. We're going to pass a bill naming 
a veterans' outpatient clinic in Wenatchee, Washington. We're going to 
pass a bill naming a veterans' center in Tampa, Florida. We're going to 
pass a bill recognizing National Homeownership Month and the importance 
of homeownership in the United States. We're going to pass a bill 
expressing support for the designation of September 2008 as the Gospel 
Music Heritage Month. We're going to pass a bill naming a post office 
in Indianola, Mississippi. We're going to pass a bill honoring the life 
of Robert Mondavi.
  Madam Speaker, all of those are important things, and they would be 
fine for us to do if we were dealing with the number one issue of 
Americans across this Nation, and that is the issue of gas prices and 
energy supply in the United States.
  Last week, the Speaker told us that we would be dealing with the 
issue this week, possibly, although it's not on the list--but 
possibly--and there may be four bills that they'll bring forward, that 
the majority party will bring forward. One is to increase regulation. 
That ought to do a lot to increase supply. One is to require that oil 
companies holding Federal leases use them or lose them. That will not 
do much to increase supply because it's already the law of the land. 
We're going to pass a bill to pay transit fares--bus tickets--for 
folks. It's not a bad idea, maybe, but what will that do for supply? 
We're going to pass an antiprice-gouging measure that the House has 
already passed on a number of occasions. That's not doing a thing for 
supply.
  Facts are troubling things, and the fact right now is that this House 
of Representatives is doing nothing, nothing to increase the supply of 
gasoline for the United States, nothing to increase American energy for 
Americans. Consequently, what we see are record gas prices continuing--
$4.08 over the weekend, $4.10, I understand, today. There are a couple 
of other interesting facts, Madam Speaker.
  The United States has expanded its dependence on foreign members of 
OPEC by a full 7 percent in 2007 alone.
  Another fact, Madam Speaker, is that the United States is the only 
developed nation in the world that forbids safe energy production on 
its Outer Continental Shelf, deep sea exploration. The only nation in 
the world.
  Another fact, Madam Speaker, is that the U.S. Minerals Management 
Service estimates that America's Outer Continental Shelf contains 
nearly 86 billion barrels of oil, enough oil to replace OPEC imports 
for 50 years.
  Another fact, Madam Speaker, is that, when bills to increase the 
supply of gas for Americans and American energy for Americans have come 
to the floor of this House, 81 percent of the time, Republicans have 
supported those bills; 83 percent of the time, Democrats have opposed 
those bills.
  So the law of supply and demand is clear. If you increase supply, you 
decrease the cost, and you decrease the price at the pump. So, yes, we 
need to conserve. Yes, we need to make certain that we find alternative 
fuel sources for the future, but right now, in the short term, in the 
near term, it's incumbent upon this House to make certain that we 
increase supply.
  American energy for Americans.
  There are easy ways to do that. What we demand is that the House be 
allowed to vote.

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