By Senator Mitch McConnell

Two years ago, the Washington liberals who control Congress claimed they had a “common sense plan” to lower gas prices. But since they took over, the average price of a gallon of gas has shot up from $2.34 to more than $4.08—a whopping increase of 74 percent, and with no relief in sight. If it gets any worse, we’ll all have to commute to work in hot-air balloons powered by all the hot air they generate in Washington.



Believe it or not, that plan makes about as much sense as their latest proposal. They recently offered a “climate tax” bill which would have dramatically raised energy prices across the nation. Congress asked the Environmental Protection Agency to study the bill, and they found it would increase gas prices by as much as $1.40 a gallon—on top of the high prices we’re paying already.



Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is an important goal, and in fact, Congress already has taken important steps to do so. I was pleased to support bipartisan legislation last year that raised fuel economy standards for cars and trucks, increased our use of renewable fuels, and expanded research into innovative technologies to reduce pollution.



We should not allow, however, legislation that would increase gas prices, send American jobs overseas and fail to promote scientific innovation here at home. This proposed bill failed on all counts. Undaunted, Washington liberals submitted another terrible idea—a bill to raise taxes, by imposing a new “windfall profits” tax on energy companies.



America tried this once before in the era of double-digit inflation and double-digit interest rates under President Jimmy Carter. According to the non-partisan Congressional Research Service, the “windfall profits” tax of 1980 made things worse by depressing domestic energy production, increasing our dependence on Middle Eastern sources of oil.



A few months ago when asked about reviving a “windfall profits” tax, President Carter’s old director of domestic energy policy said, “It’s a terrible idea today.” I agree—it simply makes no sense to beg the Middle East for more oil.



I support and have sought to implement a three-pronged approach—conservation, innovation for newer technologies, and expanded exploration of our domestic resources—to solve America’s energy crisis, create thousands of jobs and get prices down at the gas pump. Expanding our domestic energy production will do all this, and limit the hold Middle Eastern nations have on our economy.



This country is the third-largest producer of oil in the world after the Saudis and the Russians. And while we must work now to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, if we truly want to achieve energy independence, America must be allowed to take advantage of the vast energy resources we have right here at home.



A recent Gallup poll found that by a sizable majority, 57 to 41 percent, most Americans support increased production of domestic energy. Presidential nominee Barack Obama admitted that he doesn’t have a problem with higher gas prices, only with how fast we got here, saying, “I think I would have preferred a gradual adjustment.” Well, if you’re like me, $4 gas is unacceptable—whether we got here gradually or quickly!



So as gas prices continue to set record highs, and the American people clamor for relief, the liberals who run Washington have some serious questions to answer. Why don’t we help ourselves by producing more energy right here at home so we don’t have to rely on the Middle East to help us?



Senator McConnell is the Senate Republican Leader and only the second Kentuckian to lead his party in the U.S. Senate.