Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I want to concur with Senator Schumer about his comments on the passage of Senator Menendez's legislation, S. 2204. This legislation is very important for America's energy needs, and I urge my colleagues to allow us to take up this legislation and let's act on it and let's move it to the other body. There is one commodity just about everyone knows the price of: a gallon of gasoline. People will have a rough idea what a gallon of milk or a dozens eggs or a loaf of bread costs, but they will know to the penny what a gallon of gasoline costs. The price is rising, and people are understandably upset. They are upset because it costs more to fill up at the pump. But they are also upset because crude oil and gasoline price increases affect the price of every other commodity--including milk, eggs, and bread--that has to be transported from where it is produced to where it is consumed. Petroleum is a feedstock used in the production, not just transportation, of so many critical products, including fertilizer. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, EIA, the retail price of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline was 27 cents higher for the week ending March 5, 2012 than it was a year ago. EIA reports that vehicle fueling costs for the average U.S. household will be about $238 higher in 2012 than 2011. According to EIA, the price of gasoline has increased dramatically every year--in 2011, higher than 2010, and 2012 is projected to be higher than 2011.…”