Ken Calvert: “I rise today to continue my critique of the Clinton/Gore administration's role in the recent surge in gasoline and home…”

“I rise today to continue my critique of the Clinton/Gore administration's role in the recent surge in gasoline and home heating oil prices. Yes, Mr. Speaker, the administration must shoulder much of the responsibility because they ignored the ``two Ds,'' domestic production and diplomacy. The United States imports the majority of its petroleum requirements largely because it is difficult to produce petroleum in this country. Mr. Speaker, the administration imposes serious limits on exploration, drilling, refining through an incredible permitting and regulatory scheme. These regulations force many facilities to shut down when oil prices are low and make it uneconomical to reopen when prices rise. This takes us to the second D, diplomacy. The administration knew 1 year ago these prices were coming down the pipeline. Unfortunately, Secretary Richardson was preoccupied by a major spy scandal at the DOE. As he himself said on February 16, ``It is obvious that the Federal Government was not prepared. We were caught napping. We go complacent.'' Mr. Speaker, this administration gets ``two Ds'' and an ``F.``”