[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 12589-12590]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           RISING GAS PRICES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Price) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it's a privilege to come to the 
well of the House and address this body. It's Tuesday, about 16 minutes 
to 1 o'clock, and the House is back in session for another week.
  Today, we are going to be taking up some interesting resolutions. 
H.R. 1002 expresses support for the designation of April 2008 as Public 
Radio Recognition Month. We are going to take up House Resolution 1029, 
which congratulates and recognizes Chi-Chi Rodriguez for his continued 
success on and off the golf course. We are going to rename a post 
office in Cleveland, Ohio. We are going to rename another post office 
in Rancho Mirage, California, and we are going to recognize or have a 
bill that recognizes the historical significance of Juneteenth 
Independence Day. That's what is on tap for the House of 
Representatives today, Mr. Speaker.
  What aren't we going to do?
  Well, we aren't going to do what my constituents in the Sixth 
District of Georgia want us to do and what Americans all across this 
Nation want us to do, and that is to deal with the issue of gas prices, 
of rising gas prices. For another week, we're not going to deal with 
that because the leadership in this House, the Democrat leadership in 
this House, will not allow the bills to come to the floor that will 
increase American energy for Americans.
  The average gas price in this Nation today, Mr. Speaker, is $4.08 a 
gallon. In California, it's $4.60 a gallon. In Connecticut, it's $4.38 
a gallon. Now, facts are stubborn things, Mr. Speaker, but there are 
some laws of economics that are driving all of this.
  Part of it, not all of it, is supply and demand, and there are some 
other facts that are important for all of us to appreciate. The United 
States expanded its dependence on foreign members of the Organization 
of Petroleum Exporting Countries--that's OPEC, Mr. Speaker--by a full 7 
percent in 2007 alone. That means we increased our dependence on 
foreign oil. The United States is the only developed Nation in the 
world that forbids, that forbids, Mr. Speaker, safe energy production 
in its Outer Continental Shelf. That's deep sea exploration. We are the 
only developed Nation in the world to do this.
  The U.S. Minerals Management Service estimates that America's Outer 
Continental Shelf contains nearly 86 billion barrels of oil, 86 billion 
barrels of oil. How much is that, Mr. Speaker? It's enough oil to 
replace OPEC imports for 50 years. We can gain that in an 
environmentally sensitive and sound way without threatening the 
environment.
  On our side of the aisle, for the Republicans, when those votes have 
come up in the House, 81 percent of us have supported deep sea 
exploration for American energy for Americans. As for the other side of 
the aisle, when those votes have come up, 83 percent of House Democrats 
have opposed this.
  So, as my friend Mr. Westmoreland has said, we are going to break it 
down pretty simply. Who wants to bring onshore oil on line for 
Americans? Who wants to bring deep water oil on line for Americans? Who 
wants to increase refining capacity in America? American energy for 
Americans, which Members of this body want to do that?
  We've got a petition. We've got the pens at the ready, Mr. Speaker. 
All it takes is for Members to step up and to find their line and sign, 
and if they need help finding their line, we'll be glad to help them. 
It's important. It's important that the American people know that this 
body, the House of Representatives, appreciates the challenges that 
they're having right now at the gas pump, with filling up their cars

[[Page 12590]]

and their vehicles, the difficulty of the truckers across this Nation 
in delivering the goods and services.
  It's imperative that this House of Representatives addresses the 
issue of conservation, yes, alternative fuel, yes, but increasing 
supply. When you hear our friends on the other side of the aisle, they 
will say, well, there's already land that has been leased to the oil 
companies, and they aren't using it. Well, you're right. They're not 
using it because there's no oil underneath it. They need to go where 
the oil is, and the oil is demonstrated in the deep sea exploration 
that we ought to allow.
  So, Mr. Speaker, I'm proud to stand here with my colleague who has 
brought forward the kind of clear evidence that Members of this House 
can demonstrate to their constituents back home and to their colleagues 
here in the House. It's time to increase American supply of American 
energy for Americans. I call on the leadership, on the Speaker of the 
House and on the leadership of the majority party--the Democrats--to 
bring those bills forward. Let us vote.

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