Lucas Votes to Prosecute Gasoline Price Gouging, Expand Oil Refining

LUCAS VOTES TO PROSECUTE GASOLINE PRICE GOUGING, EXPAND OIL REFINING

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Third District Congressman Frank Lucas voted today to help expand U.S. refining capacity to remove the bottleneck that is precipitating the high price of gasoline. He also voted today to increase the penalties for those that engage in gasoline price gouging.

"Gas prices are outrageous. They're hitting the pocketbooks of Oklahomans and putting a drag on an otherwise strong economy," Lucas said. "While market forces have the largest hand in this rise in prices, we need to ensure that the inaction of federal bureaucrats doesn't stand in the way of the construction of new refineries so that the refinery bottleneck can be alleviated."

The refinery legislation, which failed to gain the vote of two-thirds of members present needed, would have established a federal coordinator to convene all the players in U.S. government agencies responsible for issuing permits to develop a facility and help them coordinate and expedite their schedules more efficiently.

"We haven't built a refinery in this country in 30 years, yet our consumption has gone up dramatically," Lucas said. "Our demand has increased so much that now we don't just import oil, but we've increased our imports of refined gasoline as well. We must increase our U.S. supplies of oil and gasoline, and reduce our dependence on foreign nations."

Another bill, which passed the House today, would prohibit price gouging of gasoline, diesel, and other fuels. Currently state laws make price gouging illegal, but this legislation would allow those guilty of price gouging to be prosecuted concurrently at the state and federal level.

It would allow the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission to prosecute price gouging, for civil penalties up to 3 times the ill-gotten gain, plus up to $3 million per violation at the wholesale level.

Criminal penalties at the wholesale level will be up to $150 million, up to two years imprisonment, or both. Criminal penalties at the retail level will be up to $2 million, up to two years imprisonment, or both.

The Refinery Permit Process Schedule Act failed to gain the necessary two-thirds vote of members present needed to pass under the expedited parliamentary process, by a vote of 237 to 188. The Federal Energy Price Protection Act passed the House today by a vote of 389 to 34.

http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ok03_lucas/pricegouge.html