[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12089]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



          CONGRESS NEEDS TO TAKE A STAND AGAINST PRICE GOUGING

  (Mr. DeFAZIO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, from the other side of the aisle we hear 
platitudes about choice, which consumers do not want, and competition, 
which does not exist. For months, the mounting evidence of manipulation 
in the energy markets has been piling up and piling up while the Bush 
administration, and their hand-picked appointees to the Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, have taken a hands-off attitude. After all, it 
is some of their most generous campaign contributors, many of whom are 
based in Texas, who are making obscene amounts of money by manipulating 
the energy markets.
  Mr. Speaker, we would not want to offend them just to help consumers. 
A month ago it turned out Reliant Energy of Texas had tied its energy 
traders to the plant operators and had them shut down the plant to 
drive up the price.
  Duke Energy employees have stated that they were told to sabotage the 
plant and throw away the repair parts to drive up the price of energy 
on the west coast.
  The reaction on that side of the aisle is, oh, let us not make this a 
partisan issue. Oh, let us be nice.
  Mr. Speaker, consumers are being fleeced. It is time for real action. 
Sign the discharge petition, and this Congress will take a stand for 
consumers against the price gouging.

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