With gasoline prices now hovering around $4 per gallon and still climbing, the driving public can no longer be forced to foot the bill and bear an outrageous financial burden because Congress has failed to advance a comprehensive energy plan. The time has come for an energy policy in this country that encourages more diversified and environmentally friendly energy sources to be brought to market to ensure a secure and sustainable energy supply here at home.

So, how do we tackle the skyrocketing costs working families are currently bearing?

We must advance initiatives that will provide consumers with immediate relief, even as Congress continues to debate the components of a long-term federal energy policy.

We can do this by instituting a temporary holiday from the federal gasoline tax while ensuring that federal resources for roads are maintained; enact tax incentives to boost the use of renewable energy like wind, solar and biomass; advance policies to deploy domestic energy sources, like coal, oil shale and natural gas in an environmentally-friendly manner; or encourage environmentally sound drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) and the Artic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), just to name a few.

Clearly, we have viable solutions for our nation’s energy crisis. I stand ready and willing to work with the Majority, who has promised and has so far failed to deliver a sound energy plan for the American people.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 9th, 2008 at 11:47 am and is filed under Uncategorized .