Jon Tester: “The energy crisis we face today is putting a squeeze on our working families. This morning, AAA announced another new…”

“The energy crisis we face today is putting a squeeze on our working families. This morning, AAA announced another new record high on the national average for the price of a gallon of gas at $4.05 a gallon. Diesel hit a new record of $4.79 a gallon. The price of oil is at $134 a barrel. Yesterday in the Senate, Republicans blocked some solid measures by which we can lower the cost of energy which would directly impact working families, small businesses, agriculture, and the trucking industry. Today, I rise to urge my Republican colleagues to allow us to pass legislation that will make a difference to free America from this grip of foreign oil. Although my Democratic colleagues have produced commonsense legislation to deal with this energy crisis, the folks on the other side of the aisle continue to block any reasonable attempt to take effective action. My Montana neighbors are hurting from the high cost of energy. Our manufacturers are at the risk of shutting down because of high energy costs. Truckers struggle to make ends meet, facing the high prices of diesel fuel. Family farmers are suffering from record-high diesel, high fertilizer, and other input costs. This energy crisis is real. We feel it every day.”