[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 121 (Wednesday, July 23, 2008)]
[House]
[Page H6830]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  DRILLING IS NOT THE ANSWER TO HIGH GAS PRICES--DEMOCRATS WORKING ON 
                             REAL SOLUTIONS

  (Mr. PAYNE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, we cannot drill our way to either energy 
independence or to lower prices at the pump. The Bush administration's 
own Energy Information Administration says that opening up new areas 
for drilling would not affect production or prices for nearly 20 years, 
and even then it concludes that ``any impact on average wellhead prices 
is expected to be insignificant.'' So much for the Republican energy 
plan.
  In stark contrast, House Democrats have taken action and passed 
legislation that will make America more energy independent and help 
provide relief to Americans struggling with high gas prices. For the 
first time in 32 years, we passed a landmark law that will require more 
fuel efficient vehicles, which will produce nearly $1,000 in savings 
for the average American family at the gas pump. This is the kind of 
relief that my constituents in New Jersey want.
  Democrats also forced the President to stop sending oil to the 
Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and now we are standing and urging him to 
start releasing oil from the reserve.

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