Bart Stupak: “Mr. Speaker, today the U.S. House of Representatives has an opportunity to vote on my legislation, the Federal Gas Price…”

“Mr. Speaker, today the U.S. House of Representatives has an opportunity to vote on my legislation, the Federal Gas Price Gouging Prevention Act, H.R. 6346. Every Member of the House will face a simple choice: Vote to stand up for consumers, your constituents, who are paying outrageous gas prices at the pump, or vote to allow oil companies to go on setting them unchecked. As of last night, the national average for a gallon of gasoline, regular gasoline, was $4.07. With rising prices, it makes sense that we vote on this legislation before the House leaves for the 4th of July holiday and millions of Americans fill their gas tanks and hit the road. Or even as we look forward to this winter, with home heating oil at $3.98 per gallon, it will be impossible for people to heat their homes this winter. The high cost of energy produces more opportunities for multiple opportunities to have price gouging and price manipulation. Unfortunately, with these high prices, fewer families will be traveling this year, and that takes an especially hard toll on districts like mine that rely on tourism. As I travel my vast northern Michigan congressional district, I have heard from everyone from clergy to farmers to seniors who are outraged by prices at the pump. They are shocked to learn that there is no Federal law against gas price gouging.”