The high cost of gas is the number one issue that I am hearing about right now. Just today, the price per gallon in my District is teetering under $4.00 and we are all feeling the pinch. For those who were already struggling financially, the increase in gas prices is causing them to make tough choices about basic necessities for their families. It is hard to keep a job, if you can’t afford to drive to work.

In the short term, I expect many of my constituents to seek out other ways to get around. However, most of the communities in my District are small and lack public transportation, so the alternatives for many are simply not available.

For truck drivers, trucking companies, and our businesses and farmers that need to move their products around the country, the situation is even more dire. The rising price of diesel fuel should be a concern for all Americans and I have joined with my counterparts in the Arkansas delegation to ask for hearings on this issue. Rail lines are at capacity, so if diesel prices increase further, we will all be faced with enormous costs for food and other goods to continue to be hauled over the road.

Although there are many opinions on how to ease the immediate burden, I believe we in Congress need to focus on the long-term solution. The global demand for fuel is outstripping supply. In the United States, we have to find a way to either increase the amount of fuel that is available or decrease our use of it. We are the only developed country in the world that refuses to use its natural resources. Congress needs to take common sense steps that will increase our energy supply and make us more energy independent.

If we cannot ease the demand for the future through expanded production and alternative energy, we are going to live with the consequences.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 28th, 2008 at 10:43 am and is filed under Politics, Energy/Environment .