Washington, DC – Congresswoman Renee Ellmers (NC-2) released the following statement today regarding the White House response to rising gas prices:

"After the White House announced that it is considering opening the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), House Republican Policy Committee Chairman Tom Price, M.D. (R-GA) stated, 'The Strategic Petroleum Reserve was created to offer relief should there be a temporary disruption in the supply of crude oil, like a devastating hurricane or a blockade of oil imports.  It was not intended to be a tool to manipulate the market or provide political relief.'

I agree with Chairman Price that opening the SPR would not solve the problem of rising gas prices (nearly 20 cents over the past week alone) which will cost Americans jobs, slow economic growth and burden families with higher energy bills.  For every penny the price of gasoline increases, it costs consumers an additional $4 million per day.

The White House is attempting a short term fix for a problem that has been festering for many years.  We need to begin implementing long term solutions immediately to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Opening the Strategic Petroleum Reserve would do nothing to solve the problems we are facing and would, in fact, weaken our current position from a national security standpoint."

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