Tim Mahoney: “I want to thank Chairman Oberstar for bringing this bill, the Saving Energy Through Public Transportation Act of 2008…”

“I want to thank Chairman Oberstar for bringing this bill, the Saving Energy Through Public Transportation Act of 2008, to the floor today. Madam Chairman, 232 years ago, this country fought to gain its political independence. Today, as we approach Independence Day, it is time that we must fight for energy independence. Madam Chairman, as we all know, Americans are suffering because of high gas prices. But some of the recent proposals we have seen in the past week are political opportunism at its worst. Take the proposal to end the moratorium on offshore drilling. Not only could drilling imperil Florida's $65 billion tourist industry, but there is insufficient oil to meaningfully address demand. In 2007, the Energy Department found that drilling off the coast would not add to domestic production before 2030, and that the impact on gas prices would be insignificant. Further, the U.S. proven reserves are approximately 2 percent of the world's supply, yet we continue to be the number one consumer of oil in the world, consuming about 25 percent of the world's production. So anyone who stands here and says we are going to drill our way out of this problem is not being honest with the American public. It is time to get real, and it is time to take action now. While there are no easy answers, there are significant steps that we can take to stabilize gas prices.”