Ed Perlmutter: “I think the question is to try to distract from the real answer which is the plan, the energy plan has been to raise gas…”

“I think the question is to try to distract from the real answer which is the plan, the energy plan has been to raise gas prices, and the energy plan has not worked. It's hurt Americans. And we have to come up with other ways so that we aren't dependent upon one commodity like that because we're dealing with eight or so countries in OPEC and five, or about five big oil companies. Very few countries and very few companies. And we need to have other ways to power this Nation, and we can do it. I mean, we have the ability to come up with better and more efficient cars. We have the ability to come up with more efficient homes and not in expensive ways. We're talking about changing out windows, putting in more insulation. There are opportunities to add solar or wind so that we have renewable energy sources, and these are thousands and thousands and thousands of jobs; and certainly in the construction industry, those jobs are needed today. So it is a win-win situation if we're just going to have to do these things. But even in the short run, we know that oil companies have plenty of places to drill that they aren't drilling today. So it's a phony argument.”