[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 8]
[House]
[Pages 10101-10102]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1015
                          LOWER GAS PRICES NOW

  (Mr. ETHERIDGE asked and was given permission to address the House

[[Page 10102]]

for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call on this 
administration to take action now to reduce the price of gasoline in 
this country. Across my district folks are suffering painfully from the 
skyrocketing fuel costs to record levels. Yet this administration has 
failed to provide relief.
  Last month, OPEC cut production of crude oil by 2 million barrels, 
and the national average price for a gallon of gasoline has risen to 
more than $2 a gallon. Yet the administration has done nothing to get 
OPEC to open the spigots back up.
  North Carolina's economy is hurting. A truck driver approached me at 
church on Sunday and complained that his business is suffering because 
of the record high fuel prices. These gas prices will make the 
administration's record on job growth even worse while the big oil 
companies laugh all the way to the bank.
  First quarter profits for Conoco-Phillips went up 44 percent. Exxon-
Mobil reported a 125 percent increase. Chevron-Texaco hit a gusher with 
a 294 percent increase.
  Mr. Speaker, I call on the White House and the administration to get 
to work, to get OPEC and the big oil companies to lower gas prices now.

                          ____________________