FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  July 10, 2008   
Contact: Emily Barocas/202-225-7296
       

Washington, DC – Congressman John B. Larson (CT-01), Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus, joined Speaker Pelosi and other members of leadership today in calling on the President to release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. 

Congressman Larson said:

“The American people are suffering under the pressure of exorbitant gas prices.  President Bush has an opportunity to do something that will relieve that burden now.  I join with my colleagues in calling on him to release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and finally put the American consumer before his friends in big oil.

I urge every American to call or write to the President.  Ask him to release our oil, bought with taxpayer money, to lower the prices we are all facing at the pump.

By releasing oil from the SPRO, President Bush will be following in the footsteps of other presidents faced with an energy crisis.  Withdrawals from SPRO have been made before, when the price of gas was far below what we are dealing with today.  The SPRO is well above the levels needed for national security purposes.  I see no reason the President would not want to release oil from the SPRO despite blind indifference to the plight of the American consumer.

The President’s energy policy, developed in secret with oil executives, has completely failed the American people.  We see gas prices rising to all time highs under his leadership.  When the Republican energy policy was enacted almost three years ago, they told us it would help America become more energy independent.  The reality of their leadership is now obvious.

While the long term goals of an energy policy may be lost on this president, I hope the short term objective of lowering gas prices is not.  The American people are pleading with him to help them.  I hope he answers their call. President Bush must free our oil.”