Brown, Reid Offer Plan for Lower Prices at the Pump; Energy Independence

Columbus Drivers Paying Nearly Dollar More Per Gallon of Gas Than Year Ago

CLEVELAND--Congressman Sherrod Brown (D-Lorain County) and Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) today showcased a sweeping new Democratic plan to lower gas prices and move America towards energy independence.

Joined by several dozen area parents and local workers, Brown and Reid unveiled the program in front of the new wind turbine at Cleveland's Great Lakes Science Center. The wind turbine, installed this month, is expected to provide seven percent of the Science Center's electricity.

"As gas prices skyrocket, Ohioans are making painful sacrifices just to afford the drive to work, or to take their kids to school," Brown said. "It is time for Congress to stand up to oil companies and on the side of middle class families."

Last month, gas prices shot past $3 per gallon and ExxonMobil reported quarterly profits of $8.4 billion. Some analysts now predict $5-per-gallon gas by mid-summer.

Reverend Lois Annich and Jennifer Tucker, both Northeast Ohio mothers, shared similar stories of having to rearrange family budgets because of soaring gas prices. Tucker, a working mother of two, explained that gas prices have hit the Tucker family hard. Tucker must travel from Medina County to Cleveland five days a week - more than 50 miles round trip - to finish her graduate program in nursing, which she hopes will lead to a good-paying job. Annich, a Presbyterian minister and counselor, said she and her husband have decided to put off car repairs while gas prices are so high. She also said many of her patients' stress levels are being exacerbated by the high prices.

On Wednesday, Senate Democrats unveiled the Clean EDGE Initiative, an alternative fuel package that would move America toward energy independence by the year 2020. The measure would help develop flex-fuel vehicles and bio-diesel fuelling stations, protect consumers from oil-company price-gouging, and provide for substantial investment in alternative energy development.

"With our skilled workforce and strong manufacturing base, Ohio could become the Silicon Valley of alternative energy," Brown said. "Ohio families deserve an energy plan that will lower gas prices, create good paying jobs, and free Ohio from dependence on foreign oil. This plan will do just that."

Since the gas crisis began in April, Brown has traveled the state and met with Ohio families hardest hit by the high prices. Brown, who opposed the GOP energy bill last year, has legislation pending in Congress that would create a regional gas reserve system to protect consumers against price spikes, a proposal that has caught the attention of the White House.

Brown also introduced legislation to protect Ohio consumers from price gouging, and has called for a federal gas tax holiday to immediately bring prices down.

"We should give motorists an instant break on gas prices by suspending the federal gas tax," Brown said. "Republicans in Congress have given billions in subsidies to oil companies. We should repeal those subsidies and use the money to ease the strain on family budgets."

Republican incumbent Senator Mike DeWine, whom Brown is challenging for U.S. Senate, has received more than $330,000 in donations from oil and gas companies in the course of his career. The chairman of the Senate subcommittee that oversees monopolies, DeWine has held only one hearing since 1997 on gas prices -- despite concerns that oil-industry mergers have contributed to price manipulation. DeWine voted for the GOP energy bill.

05/20/2006 / Permalink / Economy, Environment, gas, (all tags)