Inhofe Admonishes Majority Leadership Failure to Address $4+ Gas Prices

Press Release

INHOFE ADMONISHES MAJORITY LEADERSHIP FOR FAILURE TO ADDRESS $4+ GAS PRICES
"Senate Democrats used every procedural trick in the book in an attempt to change the subject"

U.S. Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, today hammered Democrats for their failure to address the number one issue facing American families: soaring energy prices.

"As we head into a five-week break, gas prices continue to harm the American people. There has been no response to our nation's demands for increased domestic energy supply," Senator Inhofe said. "Rather than work to pass common sense legislation to increase American energy production, Senate Democrats used every procedural trick in the book in an attempt to change the subject, including a move to invoke support for the troops to change the subject, even though they had no intention to consider the National Defense Authorization Bill before adjourning. Simply put, Democrats have no answers for addressing soaring energy costs and refused to allow Republicans to bring forward legislation that would allow American energy production to get back underway.

"The question must be asked: Why should producing America's own resources be a partisan issue? It shouldn't be, but it is. The Democrats in Congress refuse to increase our supply of energy... and gas prices keep rising. Over the past several weeks, President Bush and Congressional Republicans have repeatedly called on Democratic leadership to act on bringing down gasoline prices by increasing America's energy production by expanding exploration of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), opening ANWR, developing America's oil shales, and expanding refining capacity. Yet at each turn, Democrats refused to even debate the issues.

"Now is not the time for politics as usual: now is the time for common sense solutions. Drawing upon my home state of Oklahoma's leadership in oil and gas production, I have brought forward legislation to increase American energy supply. Yesterday, I introduced the bipartisan and bicameral Marginal Well Production Preservation and Enhancement Act with Congressman Boren to ensure that the nation's policies recognize and reflect the economic importance of marginal well production. To encourage the use of natural gas as a transportation fuel, in mid-July I introduced the Drive America on Natural Gas Act which encourages auto manufacturers to produce bi-fuel vehicles, streamlines EPA's emissions certifications, and establishes a natural gas vehicle research program. The promise of natural gas as a mainstream transportation fuel is achievable today -- not 15 or 20 years from now."

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