Last night, June 13, 2007 on Special Report with Brit Hume, Fred Barnes discussed the need for Congress to support Senator Inhofe’s Gas PRICE Act in order to increase domestic refining capacity. Charles Krauthammer also weighed in on the energy bill’s major shortcomings. Watch the video on YouTube now. The Senate voted yesterday on the Inhofe bill as an amendment to the energy bill now being considered in the Senate –and every Democrat voted against it.

WASHINGTON, DC – Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, today blasted Senate Democrats – who have previously claimed their support for cellulosic ethanol – for voting against an amendment that sought to improve the permitting process for the expansion of existing and construction of new domestic fuels facilities, including cellulosic ethanol facilities. Every Democrat present voted against the amendment.

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Environment & Public Works Committee (EPW), today commented on the Democrats rejection of the Inhofe Gas PRICE Act Amendment (1505) to the energy bill.

"Passage of my amendment, the Gas PRICE Act, would have gone a long way in decreasing America’s dependence on foreign oil and help bring down prices at the pump," Senator Inhofe said. "Unfortunately, Democrats chose to play politics with the pocket books of American consumers and rejected this common sense amendment.

"Today, the Democrats rejected an amendment that would have significantly helped reduce the cost of gas at the pump -- an issue that is sure to dominate in the 2008 presidential election. Americans are paying more at the pump today because we do not have the domestic capacity to produce domestic fuels consumers demand. The American public is starving for affordable energy and it appears the Democrats' only answer is to tell them to go on a diet. It is imperative for the national security of this country that we increase production at home. Despite the rhetoric by some Democratic leaders about energy independence, they continue to oppose measures that would address key factors in helping America achieve that goal. This will come back to haunt the Democrats as a major issue in 2008.

"My home state of Oklahoma has long been a leader in oil and gas supply, and today it is also a leader in innovating and providing transportation fuels for the future. Passage of my amendment would have promoted building of coal-to-liquids and commercial scale cellulosic ethanol facilities in Oklahoma and across the country."

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Environment & Public Works Committee (EPW), today responded to EPW Chairman Barbara Boxer’s (D-Ca) assertions regarding Inhofe’s amendment to the energy bill, the Gas Petroleum Refinery Improvement & Community Empowerment Act of 2007 (Gas PRICE Act).

“It’s unfortunate that Senator Boxer chose to make wild unsubstantiated claims against my Gas Price Act amendment which if passed would help decrease our dependence on foreign refined products and therefore reduce costs to the consumer,” Senator Inhofe said.

“It’s even more unfortunate that Senator Boxer has wasted six month’s of the Environment and Public Works Committee’s time on useless climate hearings that don’t even address current legislative proposals. A more productive use of the committee’s time would have been to address the factors which will make America more energy independent.”

Fact vs. Fiction on Senator Boxer Claims:

Senator Boxer claimed the Gas PRICE Act amendment will “shortcut many environmental laws.”

FACT: The association representing the environmental concerns of every state – the Environmental Council of States (ECOS) – who represents state Departments of Environmental Quality -- clearly stated “the Gas PRICE Act does not weaken environmental laws.” In fact, ECOS and the National Association of Counties acknowledge that the Gas PRICE Act’s streamlining provisions are in compliance with states and local governments. The National Association of Counties stated, “It goes a long way in addressing the concerns of local governments during a refinery siting, ranging from the importance of considering local needs, concerns, and honoring a county’s land use authority.”