[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 619]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        HELPING THE ECONOMY BY BRINGING DOWN THE COST OF ENERGY

  (Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, while Congress and the 
President are talking about an economic stimulus package, remember that 
the high costs of energy are costing us our economy.
  Oil and gas prices continue to climb. Our President asked Saudi 
leaders to produce more oil to bring prices down. Well, something is 
wrong here. OPEC controls the price, OPEC funds the process, and we end 
up funding both sides of the war on terror.
  The trade imbalance grew in November to record levels, primarily from 
the high cost of imported oil. But Congress votes to block drilling for 
U.S. oil on the Atlantic Coast, the Gulf Coast, the Pacific Coast, the 
Western States and Alaska. Something is wrong here. We have hundreds of 
years of American coal to make electricity. We should fund research to 
clean up the coal, not ignore it.
  In the meantime, energy costs go up, food costs go up, manufacturing 
jobs go down, the economy goes down. Something is wrong here. If we are 
serious about helping the economy, let's bring down the cost of energy. 
The best economic stimulus package is a job.

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