Congresswoman Kathy Hochul Stands Up For Western New Yorkers, Fights For Lower Gas Prices

Press Release

Today, Congresswoman Kathy Hochul fought once again to ensure we lower gas prices for Americans across the country.

In an effort to reduce the burdensome costs pushed onto the backs of our motorists, Congresswoman Hochul offered an amendment to the Jobs and Energy Permitting Act of 2011that would ensure we reduce the prices of gasoline for consumers.

"Rising gasoline prices hurt our small businesses, they hurt our farms, and they hurt our families at a time when money is too scarce," said Congresswoman Hochul. "This is why we must know how the Jobs and Energy Permitting Act of 2011 will increase oil and gas production, and we need to know how this will decrease the cost of energy for our consumers."

Last week, Congresswoman Hochul offered an amendment to the Agriculture Appropriations Bill that would ensure we do not slash funding to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission -- the agency tasked with policing price manipulation in oil markets.

In 1998, Hochul, then a Town Board Member, was dubbed the "Stop The Tolls Pioneer" by the Buffalo News for her efforts, as the first elected official, to take on the New York State Thruway Authority and demand the removal of two tolls on the I-190 near Buffalo. Since the removal of the tolls, New York motorists have saved millions of dollars.

And in 2010, as Erie County Clerk, Kathy Hochul opposed Governor Paterson's plan to mandate new license plates for New York State drivers, saving motorists $129 million.

A full version of Congresswoman Hochul's prepared remarks given on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives today are below:

I thank the Chair.

I stand here today to ask one simple question: how will the Jobs and Energy Permitting Act of 2011 reduce the cost of gasoline for consumers?

I think this is a fair question, one that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle should want the answer to.

The price of gasoline is soaring in our country. Across the nation, Americans are paying far too high a price at the pump.

The national average for regular grade gas is currently $3.63 -- up from $2.73 a year ago. Diesel, which our struggling farmers pay, has gone up a dollar per gallon from this same time last year.

However, as I've stated on this floor before, the people in my district are paying much more than that.

As in the past, Western New Yorkers are paying higher than average gas prices, and not by a small margin.

Rising gasoline prices hurt our small businesses, they hurt our farms, and they hurt our families at a time when money is too scarce.

This is why we must know how the Jobs and Energy Permitting Act of 2011 will increase oil and gas production, and we need to know how this will decrease the cost of energy for our consumers.

Under this bill, the American people are supposed to put their trust in the same oil companies that have consistently betrayed that trust.

They tell us they need to drill more. And they tell us that they need to get permits on an expedited basis in order to do so.

Well, I agree we need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, but without the proper oversight, how do we know that the permits we are issuing so that oil companies can drill in federal waters will result in the production of oil and natural gas? How do we know they won't simply secure permits and then choose not to drill, just to keep oil and gas off of the market or, even worse, just to drive up the price of oil by manipulating supply?

The amendment I am offering today is simple and quite straightforward. In one line, it simply gives the EPA Administrator 60 days to submit a report detailing how this bill will increase oil and gas production, while lowering the price of energy for consumers.

Asking for a report within two months of passing this Act is not unreasonable, which is why I ask all my colleagues today to join me in supporting this amendment.

Today, the people back home in my district are still fed up with high gas prices and they want to know what we are going to do to solve these problems.

This amendment can be the first step in finding a solution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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