Mark Kennedy: “as we well know, the rising cost of gasoline is a burden on hard-working families and on small businesses across the…”

“as we well know, the rising cost of gasoline is a burden on hard-working families and on small businesses across the country. Recently, the price of crude oil hit the historic high of $75 a barrel. The average price of gasoline is now a whopping $2.92 cents a gallon, and it shows no sign of dropping before the busy summer travel season. While much of this is the result of increasing demand generated by our growing economy and increased instability in Iran and other oil- producing countries, Congress has a duty to take action. Some in Congress like to play politics on this issue. The American people don't want cheap political games and stunts. They want and deserve solutions. We provided good solutions in the strong conservation and renewable energy titles of the energy bill that we passed last year. Had it not been for political gamesmanship, these measures, which languished in Congress for 4 years after we passed it in the House, would already be reducing gas prices with more hybrid and E85 ethanol cars on the road and more biofuels to fuel them. Instead, these policies are just being implemented now. Over time, I believe that last year's energy bill will help bring down the cost of energy for consumers, but, in the meantime, we must do more.…”