[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 58 (Tuesday, May 3, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H2939]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              PROTECTING CONSUMERS FROM HIGHER GAS PRICES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Let me congratulate my colleague from 
Indiana on his eloquence. I don't think it could be better said.
  Mr. Speaker, 1 year after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Americans 
are paying record gas prices. In northern Virginia, gas that used to 
cost $3 a gallon now costs $4 a gallon. This gas price hike is the 
result of instability in the Middle East and possible oil speculation, 
and is a reminder of our dangerous dependence on foreign oil. Sadly, 
our Republican colleagues are not advancing legislation to help 
consumers. Their plan would line the pockets of Big Oil, which saw its 
profits skyrocket 30 percent in line with these rising gas prices. 
Fortunately, there are positive steps we can take to promote energy 
independence and protect consumers: Improve vehicle efficiency, boost 
production of domestic renewable energy, and convert oil industry tax 
breaks into gas price relief for consumers.
  America owns 3 percent of the world's oil but consumes 25 percent of 
its global reserves. The only way to end our dependence on foreign oil 
and reduce gas prices is by improving automobile efficiency and 
developing new sources of clean domestic energy. Energy independence is 
going to depend on reducing our oil consumption and shifting to 
domestic forms of energy like wind, solar, biofuels, and, most 
importantly, improved efficiency. Energy independence will save 
consumers money and protect us from political instability in the Middle 
East.
  At the end of 2010, Congress extended tax credits for biofuels and 
the production of wind and solar energy. Those tax credits increased 
wind energy production by nearly 43 percent in less than 2 years. So 
extending them now is important for energy independence.
  Under the authority of the Clean Air Act amendments, President Obama 
and automakers recently announced an agreement to improve the 
efficiency of automobiles by 30 percent by 2016. This agreement will 
save consumers $3,000 for each car purchased 5 years from now. Here's 
another way of looking at it. If you can save 30 percent at the pump, 
better vehicle efficiency would more than offset recent gas price 
hikes. Unfortunately, oil companies and their allies in Congress are 
trying to roll back much of this progress. Our Speaker has forced 
through legislation which would repeal much of the Clean Air Act, 
hurting American consumers and undermining our national security. 
Fortunately, the Senate will not allow that reckless legislation to 
become law.
  This week, the Republican leadership in this House will try to short-
circuit safety rules for the production of oil off America's coast, 
increasing the likelihood of another Deepwater Horizon catastrophe. 
Their legislation could also allow oil exploration that would impede 
Naval operations off Virginia's coast and threaten the Chesapeake Bay. 
I do not support these reckless efforts to allow unregulated oil 
drilling which endangers our coastal economies and our national 
security. I will be introducing an amendment in the nature of a 
substitute. My amendment would strike the anti-safety language and add 
a provision to repeal $37 billion in oil company tax loopholes. It 
would remit this money equally to licensed American drivers. Averaged 
among licensed drivers, this amendment would give $185 to each driver--
the equivalent of reducing gas prices by 27 cents a gallon.
  There are many positive steps we can take to promote energy 
independence and reduce the burden of gas prices: Improve vehicle 
efficiency, boost production of renewable domestic energy, and end Big 
Oil tax breaks in order to help consumers. We should be taking these 
positive steps instead of endangering our coastal economies with 
unregulated oil drilling which would do nothing to affect oil prices.

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