[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11457]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      DEMOCRATS TAKE ACTION ON RECORD HIGH GAS PRICES AT THE PUMP

  (Mr. PAYNE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, from day one, this Democratic Congress has 
been fighting to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, bring down 
record gas prices, and launch a cleaner and smarter energy program. We 
have passed legislation to suspend the filling of the Strategic 
Petroleum Reserve later this month through the end of this year. After 
initially opposing this legislation, the President signed it into law 
last month.
  We passed legislation that gives the U.S. the authority to prosecute 
anticompetitive conduct committed by the international cartels, like 
OPEC, that restricts supply and drives up prices. The House also passed 
the Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act of 2008, which allows us to 
retain and create hundreds of thousands of new ``green'' energy jobs 
and invest in the renewable energies of the future.
  Today, experts estimate biofuel blends are keeping gas prices about 
15 percent lower than they would otherwise be right now. With gas 
prices continuing to skyrocket in my home State of New Jersey and 
across the Nation, House Democrats will continue to explore ways to 
provide relief to consumers at the gas pump.

                          ____________________