Sen. Franken Statement on Spike in Minnesota Gas Prices

Statement

Today, U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) made the following statement in response to the overnight spike in gas prices in Minnesota as a result of the temporary closure of two oil refineries in the Midwest:

"I'm very concerned about how gas prices in Minnesota have spiked following the temporary refinery closures. Every measure should be explored to ease pain at the pump," said Sen. Franken, the Chairman of the Energy Subcommittee on the Senate Energy and Natural Resource Committee. "I'm currently working with the Department of Energy to explore whether there's a way to make sure that we can avoid having multiple temporary refinery closures in the same area of the country-which is part of the reason why we're seeing the spike in gas prices."

Last year Sen. Franken introduced legislation that would direct the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to eliminate excessive oil speculation that drives up the price of gas.

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