[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15864]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1015
 DEMOCRATS URGE PRESIDENT TO RELEASE OIL FROM THE STRATEGIC PETROLEUM 
                                RESERVE

  (Mr. MURPHY of Connecticut asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. MURPHY of Connecticut. Madam Speaker, since President Bush took 
office, the price of oil has skyrocketed from $30 a barrel to a recent 
high of $150 a barrel. These prices are debilitating millions of 
American families who can't even afford to go to the grocery store.
  Two months ago, Congress forced the President to take action and stop 
filling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which is already at its 
highest levels ever. On July 1 we stopped putting oil into the reserve, 
which could lower prices at the pump anywhere from 10 to 25 cents. This 
action will have real results for the American people.
  And now Democrats are urging the President to release oil from that 
reserve to provide additional assistance right now to American 
consumers.
  Some say that we should only use oil from the reserve in an 
emergency. Madam Speaker, I suggest that if families not being able to 
put food on the table or freezing this winter isn't an emergency, I 
don't know what is.

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