Political Quotes

“my staff members and I hear from Mississippians every day about the crippling effects of high energy prices. We all understand the need for increasing clean energy supplies, and I hope we can continue to work to do that and to develop other innovative solutions to deal more effectively with this great problem. But the bill we are considering will not accomplish that goal. Instead, the legislation will have a detrimental effect on our economy. It will contribute to a higher overall cost of living, and it will be especially harmful to lower income families. According to projections by the Energy Information Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency, energy costs are projected to rise because of this legislation. Energy prices are already at an all-time high. We cannot afford to increase these costs even further. By 2030, increased costs for delivered coal could range between 405 percent and 804 percent, natural gas prices could rise between 34 percent and 107 percent, and gasoline prices could go up between 17 percent and 41 percent. Although the substitute amendment we are considering imposes yearly cost ceilings, these high prices will still be realized unless improbable advancements in alternative energy production, such as 70 new nuclear reactors and 68 billion gallons of ethanol, are produced. Various projections of this bill show not only will prices increase, Americans could lose jobs as industries struggle to keep costs down.”