[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9359-9360]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                         RISE IN ENERGY PRICES

  (Mr. WELLER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WELLER. Mr. Speaker, I have been enjoying some of the rhetoric I 
have been hearing from some of my friends on the other side of the 
aisle today. Clearly, when it comes to a rise in energy prices, the 
policies of my friends on the left side of the aisle is very simple, 
and that is called pass the buck.
  They talk about the California energy crisis. Who has been in charge 
in California? A Democratic governor, a Democratic State legislature. 
Who prevented the power plants from being

[[Page 9360]]

built over the last decade? A Democratic governor, a Democratic State 
legislature.
  Of course, we at the national level in Chicago are seeing over $2 
gasoline. Why? Because a Democratic administration in the White House 
failed for 8 years to do anything about energy.
  We have a new President that has been in office now for 4\1/2\ 
months, 5 months. He inherited clearly serious energy problems. He has 
now come forward with an energy proposal which deserves bipartisan 
support.
  The bottom line is we need to conserve. We need to find new domestic 
sources, and we must reduce our independence on imported oil.

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