Washington, D.C. – With gas prices nearing $4.50 a gallon in the Bay Area, Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey today voted for legislation designed to help lower gas prices and promote energy independence.  The pair of bills would increase funding for mass transit, and crack down on excessive speculation in the oil market.  Woolsey has been a consistent advocate of developing alternative energy throughout her time in Congress, and her legislation to prevent drilling off the Sonoma Coast has passed the House and is now before the Senate.

“It’s going to take a big change in how we do business if our country is going to meet the demands we have for energy,” Woolsey told her colleagues on the House floor.  “And while the Republicans in Congress and President Bush chant, ‘Drill, Drill, Drill…’ to appease their big oil buddies, the truth is we can’t drill our way out of this problem.

“What we need is common sense solutions like the bill before us today which start the process of getting people to change their habits and get out of their cars.”

Woolsey was speaking in support of the Saving Energy Through Public Transportation Act of 2008, which passed overwhelmingly.  The legislation would invest $1.7 billion in mass transit infrastructure projects, allowing more Americans to leave their cars at home when they commute to work.  In addition the House passed the Energy Markets Emergency Act, which directs the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to crack down on excessive speculation in the energy market.  Rampant speculation has been cited as one cause of the spike in gas prices. The bill was approved by a vote of 402 to 19.

The House also debated the Responsible Federal Oil and Gas Lease Act, but the legislation was blocked by House Republicans. The so called ‘Use it or Lose it’ legislation would force oil companies to produce oil and gas on the 68 million acres of public land, which they have already leased, but are not using.