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Miller: Congress Not Working To Reduce Your Gas Prices

By Congressman Jeff Miller for NorthEscambia.com

As the Congress wraps up its final week in session until September, I am sad to report to you that the Democratic leadership of this Congress is not working for the American people to reduce gas prices. Speaker Pelosi obviously believes that legislation such as House Resolution 1143, which supports the goals and ideals of the Apple Crunch and the nation’s domestic apple industry, is more important than voting on offshore drilling.

Adding insult to injury, the Democrats forced us to vote on going home without lowering your gas prices. I voted against the leadership of the “do nothing” Congress and against allowing Congress to adjourn for the summer without lowering your gas prices. Unfortunately, the vote was 213-212.

Speaker Pelosi was recently quoted as saying she “wanted to save the planet.” To that end, my colleagues and I signed a letter to the Speaker asking her to celebrate “American Energy Freedom Day on October 1, 2008” because we believe reducing dependence on foreign oil will help America , and the planet.

I’ve attached an excerpt below of our letter to Speaker Pelosi:

“It is our hope that all Democrats and all Republicans can stand together to celebrate American Energy Freedom Day on October 1, 2008. On that day, the current prohibitions on oil and gas leasing on most of the Outer Continental Shelf and on oil shale leasing on federal lands will expire, unless Congress acts to extend them. We strongly encourage you to allow the expiration of these prohibitions on American energy exploration and production, as scheduled under current law, and will actively oppose any attempt to extend them.”

“When these prohibitions expire on October 1, 2008, as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2008 (Public Law 110-161), all Americans will benefit, for vast amounts of American petroleum and natural gas will immediately become available for leasing activities. Estimates from the Minerals Management Service and the Bureau of Land Management indicate that there are upwards of 18 billion barrels of recoverable crude oil on the currently off-limit areas of the Outer Continental Shelf, as well as more than 55 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Estimates of American oil shale vary widely but range from the hundreds of billions of barrels to trillions of barrels of oil.”

During a recent “teletownhall” I conducted a survey and the overwhelming majority, eighty-five percent, told me that they supported offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico . I continue to support drilling in the Gulf and will work for you to make this happen. I can’t think of many things more important than this and assure you that although the Democrats will be on vacation this summer, I will be traveling throughout Northwest Florida listening to your ideas and telling you what I’m doing to address our energy needs.

I’m Jeff Miller and that’s what I think, what do you think? Email me through my website at www.house.gov/jeffmiller