Straight Talk With Sam (Gas Prices "Falling Fast")

Straight Talk

Gas Prices "Falling Fast"

"Gasoline prices are falling fast and could keep dropping for months," says an article in a recent publication of USA Today. This is good news for American families feeling the pinch of high gas prices. Congress has been working hard on common sense energy solutions to help ease the extra pressure at the gas pump. And welcomed news has greeted consumers all over the country over the last few weeks, with drastic declines in gasoline prices.

So far this year, Congress has worked to pass a series of common sense energy solutions. The American-Made Energy and Good Jobs Act (H.R. 5429) will authorize environmentally safe energy production in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, create some one million family-wage jobs, and increase the supply of American-made energy to lower gasoline prices.

Another important piece of legislation we passed was the Refinery Permit Process Schedule Act (H.R. 5254). This bill will encourage new refinery capacity in order to increase gasoline supplies and drive down high prices.

The use of ethanol is significant piece of the energy puzzle. I would rather relay on Missouri farmers for my energy needs, than Saudi Arabia. The Expanding Infrastructure for Alternative Fuels (H.R. 5534) would expand infrastructure necessary to increase the availability of alternative fuels, such as ethanol, using money collected from violations of Corporate Average Fuel Economy program.

My efforts in Congress have been aimed at boosting America's supply of energy, while creating more American jobs. By doing this, we will decrease our dependence on foreign sources of oil and keep energy prices down.

http://www.house.gov/graves/straighttalk/2006issue40.htm