WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Lois Capps released the following statement regarding upcoming energy legislation: 

“All along the Central and South Coasts and across the country, hardworking Americans are struggling with the rising cost of energy – whether it is fuel for their cars or the cost of heating and cooling their homes.  Gas is now well above $4 per gallon and continues to increase and this trend doesn’t appear to be reversing anytime soon.

“In the short-term, Democrats are calling on President Bush to immediately release a measured amount of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). Earlier this year it took the calls of the American people and an act of Congress to force the Bush Administration to stop putting more oil in the SPR while oil is at record high prices and is needed to bring down prices.  Now we are urging the Bush Administration to act quickly and release some resources from the Reserve, where it would immediately increase the supply of oil on the market, unlike new drilling in OCS or ANWR which would take years.  This additional supply would help bring down the cost of oil, as has happened with previous releases from the SPR in 2005, 2000 and 1991.  We invite the American people to help us once again in pushing the President to do the right thing so that we can increase oil supplies and reduce pump prices.

“In the face of these record prices and the resulting pain at the pump consumers are feeling, Democrats have pushed a responsible, comprehensive energy policy with short, medium and long-term initiatives designed to provide relief from these high prices, wean our economy off this debilitating fossil fuel addiction, and encourage the next generation of green collar jobs.  We’ve pushed legislation to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels; increase energy efficiency; and crack down on the big oil companies, price gougers, and speculators that are helping to drive up energy costs for consumers.  Unfortunately, President Bush, Senator McCain and Congressional Republicans have responded to this challenge by blindly defending their friends in the oil and gas industry, pushing political gimmicks, and calling for more of the same failed policies that got us into this mess in the first place.

“Under the Bush Administration we have expanded opportunities for domestic drilling on public lands at a record pace and with an unprecedented scope.  Yet to hear the laments of the Republicans you’d think our energy reserves had been locked up and the key thrown away.  That couldn’t be further from the truth.  Democrats support responsible domestic production of oil and other energy resources; but we also know that just drilling for oil --particularly in some of our most pristine areas-- isn’t the silver bullet for our nation’s energy needs as the Republicans have claimed it to be.  If that were the case we should have been able to drill our way out of this problem years ago. 

“The reality is that meeting our country’s energy needs requires a comprehensive strategy.  Congressional Democrats have responded with several common sense solutions that, unfortunately, Congressional Republicans and President Bush have by and large opposed.  We’re going to continue our efforts to help the American consumer with more legislation next week.  For example, we will consider legislation requiring oil and gas producers to drill the leases they already hold on public lands before asking the American people for new ones.  Currently, there are 68 million acres of public land in the U.S. that are already leased to oil and gas companies where drilling could take place but isn’t.  There are also another 20 million acres in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska – public land set aside by Congress expressly for oil drilling – that could be leased for drilling but hasn’t been.  Forcing the oil and gas companies to fully utilize this tremendous potential for additional domestic production should help with our energy needs over the medium term.  But we must also do more to increase energy efficiency measures and move aggressively to push for alternative energy sources as our true long-term solution.

“Our current energy problems are the result of years of failed policies, most clearly exemplified by the Bush-Cheney ‘drill-only’ approach and the $4 per gallon results.  We need a new direction in our energy strategy and the Democrats in Congress are committed enacting that new policy.”

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Pictured above: (center) Congresswoman Capps meets with Central Coast firefighters to discuss emergency preparedness.