Saxby Chambliss: “I rise today to speak about our Nation's energy policy. Georgians, as well as folks all across America, are shocked…”

“I rise today to speak about our Nation's energy policy. Georgians, as well as folks all across America, are shocked every time they pull up to the gas pumps, both at the price of gas per gallon and at the jaw-dropping total cost each time they fill up their tanks. With rising food prices and a weak economic recovery, skyrocketing gas prices could not come at a worse time. This situation illustrates why it is imperative for Congress to focus on creating a policy to expand and diversify our energy sources so the American people are no longer held hostage by prices at the pump. The necessity of congressional action has become all too clear as gas prices continue to rise and unrest in the Middle East threatens the global economy. We cannot afford to keep sending hundreds of billions of dollars per year to foreign countries, many of which are not America's friends, to meet our energy needs. Doing so poses a threat to our national security and further harms our Nation's struggling economy. Unfortunately, the President and his administration have made some decisions that contribute to rising gas prices and that prevent us from being able to take advantage of vast energy resources located right here in North America. First, the President's recent decision to reject the Keystone XL Pipeline was extremely disappointing.…”