“The only way Americans can take the President’s call for more energy production seriously is if he and the Democratic Leadership abandon their fixation on raising taxes on producing American energy. That’s the first step in helping relieve pain at the pu
Click here to watch the speech.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) spoke on the floor of the Senate today against the energy tax proposed by Democratic lawmakers.
Excerpts of his remarks are below:
“Across the country, Americans are feeling the pain at the pump. Gas prices are approaching $4 a gallon. Families are going to spend on average about $800 more on gas this year than they did just a year ago. Unrest in the Middle East and a weak dollar is driving oil prices even higher. Now more than ever, we must produce more American energy. We need to do this to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. And Americans are looking to Washington for leadership.
“Americans want answers, and they deserve answers. They want to know, how will I pay my gas bills? When we have American energy, why are we so dependent on foreign countries for our energy? They want to know, where is the leadership in Washington?
“Despite acting against the production of more American energy just a week ago, the President now wants us to believe he supports it just because this week he says so. I hope his change of heart is sincere, but I have my doubts, because unlike energy, talk is cheap.
“The Administration is trying to use this sudden change of heart as a bargaining chip to pass legislation brought up by liberals in the Senate this past week. Unlike increased production, the Democrats’ bill will not help the American people. In fact, the bill is clear evidence that the Democratic Party has no plan to address high gas prices.
“Their solution for high gas prices is a tax increase. Since when did raising taxes lower the price of gasoline? Since when does raising taxes on one thing ever lower the price of that thing?
“This administration has consistently pushed policies that actually make the pain at the pump worse. Instead of supporting ‘all of the above’ energy production across our country, they’ve been more focused on excuses about why we shouldn’t use American energy.
“This Administration’s shutdown on drilling in the Gulf of Mexico will drive American oil production down by twenty percent in 2012. Even former President Bill Clinton called the continuous shutdown ‘ridiculous.’
“The evidence is clear. The liberal energy strategy is not creating jobs in America, it’s not reducing the cost of gasoline in America, and it’s not strengthening Americans’ national security. Instead, Americans are paying more at the pump, living with high unemployment, and producing less American energy.
“I hope the President will follow up on his promise to help America produce more oil. I also hope he will stop pushing the damaging legislation has party put forward here this week. It’s time we had a true bipartisan approach on energy.
“Senator Manchin of West Virginia and I have introduced just such a bill. It’s a bipartisan bill. It’s called the “American Alternative Fuels Act.” This bill truly would ease Americans’ pain at the pump. It would repeal barriers to alternative fuels, so that American energy can thrive. It would promote the production of alternative fuels derived from American sources.
“This bill acknowledges the truth about our energy crisis. We need more American Energy, and we need it all. In addition to the green jobs the President keeps talking about, we need red, white and blue energy and red, white and blue energy jobs. We must focus on making our energy as clean as we can, as fast as we can, and do it in ways that do not raise the cost on American families.
“The only way Americans can take the President’s call for more energy production seriously is if he and the Democratic Leadership abandon their fixation on raising taxes on producing American energy. That’s the first step in helping relieve pain at the pump.”
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