Rep. Foster Votes to Crack Down on OPEC for Price Fixing

Press Release

Rep. Bill Foster kept his fight up against high gas prices today by voting for HR 6074, legislation that would allow the Department of Justice to take to legal action against OPEC and the global oil cartels.

"I am outraged over the continued manipulation of our gas prices by OPEC and big oil. Their greed is causing pain at home, putting people put out of work and hurting our families. The time for talk has ended, we need to take action, and this bill sends a warning to OPEC," Foster said.

H.R. 6074, the Gas Price Relief for Consumers Act, authorizes the Justice Department to take legal action against OPEC state-controlled entities that participate in conspiracies to limit the supply, or fix the price, of oil. In addition, the legislation creates a new Department of Justice Petroleum Industry Antitrust Task Force to examine the existence and effects of price gouging in the sale of gasoline, anticompetitive price discrimination by petroleum refiners, unilateral actions to withhold supply in order to inflate the prices and manipulation in futures markets.

Today's vote follows Rep. Foster work to temporarily halt the fill of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR).

"If we don't fight back soon gas prices will hit $5.00," Foster said. "We must do all we can to provide Illinois families with relief."

Added Foster, "The families of the 14th District sent me to Washington to help solve their problems, and the high price of gasoline is the biggest problem we face today. I will continue to support short and long term actions that reduce the cost of gas and end our addiction to foreign oil."

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