[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 7994]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               TIME FOR A NEW DIRECTION ON ENERGY POLICY

  (Mr. ALTMIRE asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. ALTMIRE. Mr. Speaker, while the consumers continue to pay record 
prices at the pump, the Big Oil companies are once again pocketing all-
time record profits; yet they disavow any correlation to those high gas 
prices. But do they really expect the American people to believe that?
  During the first six years of the Bush administration, Congress 
pursued policies that furthered our dependence on oil. They showered 
the Big Oil companies with billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies 
but never explained why those corporations deserve corporate welfare.
  Since regaining control of Congress, Democrats have twice passed 
legislation to redirect every penny of those taxpayer subsidies into 
research and development on alternative sources of fuel.
  For years, Republicans in Washington have supported a policy of 
corporate welfare for Big Oil that clearly hasn't worked. It's time for 
a new direction on energy policy.

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