[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 29 (Tuesday, March 1, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H1406]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1230
                       DOMESTIC ENERGY PRODUCTION

  (Mr. HULTGREN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. HULTGREN. Mr. Speaker, when I returned to Illinois last week, I 
talked to my constituents, and the refrain I heard over and over was 
their frustration and concern about the pain they're feeling at the gas 
pump. And it's not just hurting them. It is threatening to damage our 
economy. It's already a weak economy, and it is damaging it even worse.
  At this moment, the average cost of a gallon of gas in my home State 
of Illinois is over $3.50--more than 10 cents higher than the national 
average. These prices are unseasonably high, hitting Illinoisans and 
Americans hard in their already-thinned pocketbooks and threatening our 
economy's tenuous recovery.
  It's clear that Congress must act to protect our constituents from 
even higher gas prices by expanding our Nation's domestic energy 
production. More energy production here at home would not only reduce 
the cost of gas, putting money back in the wallets of every American; 
it would also create the kind of good-paying jobs that so many people 
need and will help get our economy running again.
  Creating jobs, saving our constituents money, and helping the economy 
should be bipartisan goals, and we can achieve them by expanding 
American energy production. I hope we come together to accomplish these 
goals in the weeks and months ahead.

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