[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 4285]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             ENERGY PRICES

  (Mr. BUTTERFIELD asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Mr. Speaker, gasoline prices are once again on the 
rise. Over the last 2 weeks, prices are up by 14 cents, 40 cents higher 
than at this same time last year. Americans are looking to Washington 
for relief, but no relief has occurred. That is because House 
Republicans rubber-stamped an energy plan that was written in secret by 
a Cheney energy task force, whose participants are still not known to 
the American people.
  Based on the final law, one can only assume that the American 
consumer was not represented at those closed-door meetings. The Bush 
administration, Mr. Speaker, has admitted that this energy law will do 
absolutely nothing to reduce the pain Americans feel when they fill up 
at the pump.
  In fact, according to the President's own administration, the final 
energy law will actually lead to higher gasoline prices. As gas prices 
increase in the coming weeks, the American people should blame House 
Republicans who rubber-stamped an energy policy written by and for Big 
Oil at the White House.

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