DeWine, Brown trade barbs

With gas prices hitting record highs, incumbent U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine and U.S. Rep. Sherrod Brown, his Democratic opponent in the November general election, said they have plans to ease the country's dependence on foreign oil.

But there is no quick solution, they say.

The Mahoning Valley was ground zero for the Senate race Thursday with DeWine, a Cedarville Republican seeking his third six-year term, in Cortland, and Brown, of Avon, in Youngstown. The two face each other in the Nov. 7 general election.

...An hour later, Brown was in the parking lot of the former Weatherbee Coat Co. on East Federal Street in Youngstown promoting legislation he's introduced in the U.S. House to ban the import, export or sale of products made overseas with sweatshop or prison labor.

Brown also criticized DeWine for his vote supporting the Central America Free Trade Agreement, and for favoring the North America Free Trade Agreement. DeWine wasn't in the Senate when NAFTA passed, but approves of the agreement. Brown voted against both 

07/07/2006 / Permalink / 2006, Economy, gas, (all tags)

REPORT: Ohio families feel pain at the pump this holiday while oil companies rake in record profits

Sherrod released a report on Ohio's gas crisis last weekend and offered ways to reduce costs to consumers.

The report was unveiled to the media and local residents at a news conference in Youngstown on Sunday, May 28.

The report finds that:

• Compared to 2000, the average two-car family in Ohio will pay approximately $1,563 more for gas this year. The indirect costs of higher energy prices, in the form of higher costs for goods and services, will cost the typical family another $1400, making for a total cost of $2963.


• In 2001, it took a minimum wage worker in Ohio 5.4 hours to earn enough to fill their gas tank.  In May 2006, it would take almost twice as long, 10.7 hours of work, to fill a single tank of gas.


• Last year, the top six oil companies took in profits of $113 billion. Meanwhile, oil and gas companies have spent nearly $450 million in the last six years to protect their interests in Washington. In the course of his career, Republican incumbent Senator Mike DeWine has received $338,817 in campaign donations from the oil and gas industry.

In the past month, gas prices shot past $3 per gallon in many parts of the country. Some analysts now predict that prices at the pump could hit $5 by mid-summer.

Click here to read the full report.

05/30/2006 / Permalink / Economy, gas, (all tags)

REPORT: Gas Crisis To Cost Ohio Families $2,963 This Year

Brown Proposes Steps to Relieve Pain at the Pump, Move Toward Energy Independence

YOUNGSTOWN--Congressman Sherrod Brown (D-Lorain County) today released a report on Ohio's gas crisis and offered ways to reduce costs to consumers. Speaking by a gas station in Youngstown, Brown addressed the effect of skyrocketing fuel prices on the lives of Ohio drivers.

"As the summer driving season begins, soaring gas prices will force many Ohio families to make painful sacrifices, working ever-longer hours and canceling visits to loved ones," Brown said. "For too long, President Bush and Republicans in Congress have chosen the side of the oil companies. It is time to stand up for middle class families."

The report finds that:

• Compared to 2000, the average two-car family in Ohio will pay approximately $1,563 more for gas this year. The indirect costs of higher energy prices, in the form of higher costs for goods and services, will cost the typical family another $1400, making for a total cost of $2963.


• In 2001, it took a minimum wage worker in Ohio 5.4 hours to earn enough to fill their gas tank.  In May 2006, it would take almost twice as long, 10.7 hours of work, to fill a single tank of gas.


• Last year, the top six oil companies took in profits of $113 billion. Meanwhile, oil and gas companies have spent nearly $450 million in the last six years to protect their interests in Washington. In the course of his career, Republican incumbent Senator Mike DeWine has received $338,817 in campaign donations from the oil and gas industry.

In the past month, gas prices shot past $3 per gallon in many parts of the country. Some analysts now predict that prices at the pump could hit $5 by mid-summer.

"The oil companies wrote the energy bill, and now Ohio drivers are paying for their record profits," Brown said. "Ohioans shouldn't be squeezed to make the richest companies in the world even richer."

05/30/2006 / Permalink / Economy, gas, (all tags)

National Push for Lower Gas Prices and Energy Independence Kicks off in Cleveland

Sen. Reid details the Senate Democratic plan for energy independence by 2020.

Sherrod and Sen. Reid chat with supporters before the event.

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid joins Sherrod at Cleveland news conference.

Ohio Drivers Paying Nearly $1 More a Gallon for Gas than Last Year

The Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland was brimming with activity Saturday afternoon, May 20, as dozens of Clevelanders turned out to to hear Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid and Sherrod discuss their plan to lower gas prices and move America toward energy independence by 2020.

Ohioans traveled to the event from as far away as Medina and Lake County to hear solutions for skyrocketing gas prices, which have jumped almost a dollar a gallon since one year ago.

Sherrod spoke first about his ideas to lower prices at the pump through a 60-day gas tax holiday, and the creation of a regional gasoline reserve system.

Sen. Reid used the event to kick off a nationwide push by Senate Democrats to make America energy independent by 2020. He also showed his strong support for Sherrod?s campaign by telling the crowd that his happiest day in Washington was the day Sherrod Brown announced his candidacy.

Sherrod and Senator Reid energized the large crowd gathered in front of a new giant wind turbine, which is capable of producing seven percent of the Science Center's electricity.

Also speaking at the news conference were two Northeast Ohio mothers struggling with the burden of soaring gas prices.

Reverend Lois Annich, a Presbyterian minister and counselor, spoke passionately about the social and economic injustice of working families being stuck with high gas prices while oil companies take in record profits. Patients in her counseling practice are feeling the stress as more of their family budget is consumed by fuel costs.

"This is a social injustice of the highest order," she said.

Jennifer Tucker, a working mother of two, explained that gas prices have hit the Tucker family particularly 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. Her family now spends up to $500 a month on gas, which she can only pay by adding more debt to her student loans.

Click here to read more about the plan.

05/22/2006 / Permalink / Economy, Environment, gas, (all tags)

Sherrod Stands Up for Ohio Drivers

Dayton press conference.

Sherrod discusses high gas prices in Cincinnati.

Sherrod calls for immediate steps to lower gas prices in Cuyahoga Falls.

Supporters and local media at Toledo event.

Prior to Saturday's event with Sen. Harry Reid, Sherrod crisscrossed the state calling for swift federal action to help Ohio drivers at the pump.

Sherrod is driving the debate to lower gas prices in Ohio, which has seen the price at pump rise nearly $1 a gallon from a year ago. Industry experts predict the situation will only get worse if action is not taken soon.

Sherrod detailed his plan at appearances in Cincinnati, Dayton, Toledo, Cuyahoga Falls, Cleveland, and Columbus over the last few weeks.

The plan calls for a 60 day federal gas tax holiday and the creation of a regional fuel reserve system.

The gas tax holiday would lower fuel prices by more than 18 cents a gallon at the pump overnight. Lost revenue would be made up for by revoking $10 billion in corporate giveaways to big oil companies.

Sherrod first proposed the creation of a regional gasoline reserve system in 2003 to stabilize fuel prices during shortfalls and disaster periods.

The proposal has picked up the influential support of Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois and the AAA, which testified in favor of the idea before Congress. The initiative has even caught the attention of the White House, which is now considering a gas reserve system.

"The oil companies wrote the energy bill, and now Ohio drivers are paying for their record profits," Sherrod told a group of Toledo residents. "Ohioans shouldn't be squeezed to make the richest companies in the world even richer. Congress must stop guzzling gas-company campaign dollars and move in a new direction."

Following Sherrod's visit to Toledo, the Blade reported that Sherrod's opponent, Republican incumbent Mike DeWine, has received more than $350,000 from oil and gas interests over the course of his career:

Mr. DeWine, a Cedarville Republican, has rubbed financial shoulders with some of the nation's most controversial politicians and interest groups this campaign. He has raised money with President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, whose approval ratings have nose-dived in Ohio, and with two leading figures in a high-profile Washington lobbyist scandal: U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns and U.S. Rep. Bob Ney.

...Mr. DeWine has taken nearly $40,000 from oil and gas interests in the first few months of this year and close to $350,000 over his career. An industry lobbying group says Mr. DeWine voted its way 80 percent of the time in the last three years, despite his opposition to oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Click here to read the full article.

05/22/2006 / Permalink / Economy, gas, (all tags)

Democrats Brown, Reid launch fuel-bill campaign

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

U.S. Rep. Sherrod Brown of Avon, the Democratic candidate for the Senate, and Harry Reid, the Senate minority leader, launched a national campaign promoting new energy legislation Saturday.

Using the wind turbine at the Great Lakes Science Center in North Coast Harbor as their backdrop, Brown and Reid said the Clean EDGE Act of 2006 would help break America's dependence on fossil fuels. EDGE stands for Energy Development for a Growing Economy.

The legislation, which Democrats introduced in the Senate Wednesday, calls for the federal government to reduce petroleum consumption by 20 percent in five years and by 40 percent by 2020. It mandates that 25 percent of new vehicles sold in the country by 2010 be capable of using flex-fuels, such as ethanol.

Click here to read the full article.

05/21/2006 / Permalink / Economy, Environment, gas, (all tags)

VIDEO: Sen. Harry Reid and Sherrod Call for Energy Independence

Sherrod and Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid today showcased a sweeping new Democratic plan to lower gas prices and move America towards energy independence.

The event was previewd in Saturday's Washington Post:

The kickoff event will take place today in Ohio, when Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) appears with Rep. Sherrod Brown, the Democratic Senate candidate, in front of a giant wind turbine outside a Cleveland science center.

"Wherever you live, your gas prices are out of control, and you want to hold someone accountable for it," Reid said.

Brown is making an issue of the $330,000 in donations that Sen. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) has received from oil and gas companies over the course of his career.

Click here to read the full article.

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

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.

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