[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 142 (Tuesday, September 9, 2008)]
[House]
[Page H7863]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECORD GAS PRICES ARE A RESULT OF AN ENERGY POLICY WRITTEN BY AND FOR 
                                BIG OIL

  (Mr. SIRES asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, for 8 years now Washington Republicans have 
allowed Big Oil to run our Nation's energy policy. The result: record 
profits for oil companies and record gas prices at the pump for 
consumers.
  All summer long, this Democratic Congress offered real solutions to 
provide drivers some relief. We proposed legislation to curb excessive 
speculation which would have reduced oil prices by $20 to $30 a barrel. 
House Republicans said no. We proposed legislation to tap the Strategic 
Petroleum Reserve. When the President's father took this action back in 
1991, the price of oil immediately dropped $8 a barrel. But again, 
House Republicans said no. We also proposed legislation that forced Big 
Oil to begin drilling on the 68 million acres of land they already have 
leases for. House Republicans once again said no.
  Mr. Speaker, the record gas prices of last year are a direct result 
of failed Republican policies. It is time they face the facts so that 
we can work together and fashion some real relief at the pump.

                          ____________________