[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 13711]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 EXPLORING, ELIMINATING AND ENCOURAGING

  (Mr. PERLMUTTER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. PERLMUTTER. Mr. Speaker, there have been a lot of complaints by 
the Republican side of the aisle as to the increase in gas prices, but 
I would have to say: Is it any wonder that gas prices have increased 
with two oil men in the White House? The question is what is being 
done. I would say it is the three E's.
  First, explore the 68 million acres that are under lease to the oil 
companies today. Let's extract the oil that we have under lease and not 
go explore ANWR or the Outer Continental Shelf.
  Two, eliminate the gouging and the hoarding and the speculating that 
is going on that is increasing the price of oil per barrel by $60 or 
$70 per barrel.
  The third E, encourage alternatives. We can no longer be hooked on 
just one commodity. We have to have other approaches and other ways to 
power this Nation or we will have to learn this lesson over and over 
and over again. That is what the Democratic Congress is doing--
exploring what we have, eliminating the gouging and encouraging 
alternatives.

                          ____________________