[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 32 (Wednesday, February 29, 2012)]
[House]
[Page H1026]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 PRESIDENT OBAMA ENERGY MYTHS AND FACTS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I know I'm going to repeat some of the things 
that my colleague from Texas has gone over as it relates to energy in 
our country and the response of the Obama administration. But, Mr. 
Speaker, these facts bear repeating because the media has been 
complicit with the Obama administration in hiding the facts from the 
American people about the extraordinarily negative impact that the 
President and his administration have had on the American people as it 
relates to energy prices.
  Let me say, again, that on his inauguration date in 2009, the average 
price of gasoline in this country was $1.84. The average price of 
gasoline today is $3.73. That is a 102 percent increase. By spring, the 
estimates by Barrons are that the price of gasoline will be $4.50. This 
is a tremendous burden on the hardworking American taxpayers. We hear 
the President and his people in his administration talking about how 
they want to be fair--fair to the middle class. Well, what's not fair 
to hardworking American taxpayers is the President's inability to see 
how the price of gasoline is hurting those hardworking American 
taxpayers.
  A 1-cent increase in the cost of gas equals $1 billion out of our 
economy and is a $4 million per day cost to consumers. A 50-cent 
increase in gasoline equals a $70 billion yearly loss to the U.S. 
economy. Again, how does it affect the average family? In 2009, it cost 
them $173.80 more; in 2010, $281.06; in 2011, $368.09.
  The Republicans have a plan to do something about this, but again, we 
have to explain to the American people we're only one-half of one-third 
of the Federal Government. We've passed five bills in the House to 
increase energy production from the abundant supply of natural 
resources we have in this country.
  Mr. Speaker, we could be energy independent in this country, but the 
President and the people who work for him and the Senate are stopping 
us from being that way. We've passed legislation to ensure construction 
of the Keystone pipeline. Together with the Keystone pipeline and the 
other bills we've passed, we'd decrease our reliance on Middle Eastern 
oil and stabilize gas prices. They will create hundreds of thousands of 
good American jobs and make our Nation more secure.
  But what is the Obama administration saying? And they are being 
helped to perpetuate these myths by the lame-stream media. They claim 
they are not responsible for the increased prices and that there's 
nothing they can do. But they are trying to take credit for previous 
Presidents Clinton and Bush pro-energy policies. The reason oil 
production is up today is because of development on private and State 
lands. North Dakota alone produced almost 16 million barrels of oil in 
January 2011 compared to only a little more than 2 million in January 
2012, the majority of which is on State and private lands.
  The Obama administration is not opening new offshore areas for energy 
production. The President and the administration claim to be opening 
more than 75 percent of offshore lands for energy exploration. This is 
absolutely false.
  The Obama administration has blocked energy production on Federal 
lands, and the Obama administration denies the potential of domestic 
oil production. So everywhere we turn, the President and the people who 
work for him are keeping us from becoming energy independent.
  Let me give you some quotes from the President. January 2008:

       Under my plan of a cap-and-trade system, electricity rates 
     would necessarily skyrocket.

  We all remember that.
  Energy Secretary Steven Chu, December 2008:

       Somehow we have to figure out how to boost the price of 
     gasoline to the levels in Europe.

  And another one:

       Mr. Chu has called for gradually ramping up gasoline taxes 
     over the next 15 years to coax consumers into buying more 
     efficient cars and living in neighborhoods closer to work.

  Mr. Speaker, we Republicans have a plan. We need the Senate to act on 
that plan.

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