[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 3025]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1220
        THE ROAD TO ECONOMIC PROSPERITY AND ENERGY INDEPENDENCE

  (Mr. MORAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. MORAN. Mr. Speaker, we need a multiyear, adequately funded 
transportation authorization before it expires at the end of this 
month.
  There is no question but gas prices are too high, but when the 
speculation subsides and when the world's oil price starts to decline, 
the price at the pump won't go down proportionately because it will be 
seized by the big oil companies as an opportunity to further pad their 
profits. That's when we need to implement a substantially but gradually 
funded Federal gas tax. That's what we need to fund our Nation's 
infrastructure that has deteriorated for the last 20 years while the 
gas tax has not been increased.
  That's what we need to do, Mr. Speaker, because the fact is that the 
big oil companies have been taking us for a ride on a pothole-filled 
highway. It's time to get into an energy-efficient vehicle and on the 
road to economic prosperity and energy independence.

                          ____________________