news

In yet another smack in the face of the American consumer, the U.S. House passed the so-called Gas Price Relief for Consumers Act of 2008, H.R. 6074 (also known as the NOPEC bill) this afternoon. In sum, this bill encourages litigation against the countries supplying our energy needs, in lieu of putting America on a road to energy independence. Alaskan Congressman Don Young voted ‘no’ on this measure.

"I’ve become very disgusted by Congress’ lack of will to address the real problem," said Rep. Young. "President Bush visited the Saudis last week to ask that they increase oil production. They told him NO. We import about 2/3 of our energy from foreign countries! We have an abundance of resources waiting to be tapped into at home and we can’t because of a lack of will to produce and of the continuous threat of litigation from extreme environmental groups. So what do we do? We vote to make it legal to sue the producers of energy overseas too; the very countries that are supplying us with the majority of our energy because we won’t do it here at home.

"Mr. and Mrs. America are now paying $4 a gallon at the pump and we haven’t even hit Memorial Day yet, and Congress thinks the answer is to allow legal action against our major suppliers of fuel. I am beyond baffled.

"It appears to me as though our Speaker and her party are content with trying to run our country on a wing and a prayer. I’m not sure what she’s driving, but I’m pretty sure that her solutions aren’t going to help my Alaskan constituents fuel up their cars, heat their homes, and feed their families.

"We are sitting on 2000 acres of frozen tundra in ANWR’s Arctic Coastal Desert that could be supplying us with an additional 1 million barrels of oil a day and still this Congress is sitting on its hands. It is time for this body to wake up and start taking a real-life approach to our energy crisis, and stop passing feel-good legislation that does nothing!"

####