Bart Stupak: “every day now we see headlines in the newspaper much like this one here from the USA Today back on October 7, 2005…”

“every day now we see headlines in the newspaper much like this one here from the USA Today back on October 7, 2005, saying: ``Staying Warm To Cost up to 90 Percent More This Year,'' as energy costs have just skyrocketed in this country. Our constituents are bracing for a harsh winter, a record high in home energy costs; and they just continue to skyrocket, while oil companies are announcing record-breaking third quarter profits. Even though gas has come down a little bit, 2 weeks ago even in my district, the headline in the Marquette Mining Journal from October 19 said we are number one. We have the dubious title of having the highest gas prices in the upper peninsula of Michigan. And it is no wonder why we have record profits by the oil companies. Our constituents are angry and are frustrated, and they deserve answers from their elected officials. We must not stand by and let oil and gas companies engage in price gouging and profiteering when families are going to be forced to pay so much more to heat their homes, to heat their places of business, as we see in article after article anywhere from a 50 to 90 percent increase in home heating costs in the upcoming months. If we take a look at the documents recently provided by the current administration from the Energy Information Administration, the American family is going to have a 60 percent increase this year just to heat their homes this winter.…”