Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to join together to immediately address one of the greatest problems facing our families and small business right now; that is, rapidly rising gas prices. As I traveled across Rhode Island during the district work period, the issue of high gas prices was never far from anyone's mind. It affects every family's bottom line and the budgets of small businesses that are still recovering from the recession. As our fragile economy continues, it is imperative that we work to find solutions in the short term as we turn our attention towards a serious, long-term solution to reduce our demand for oil. Our Nation simply cannot have low gas prices without reducing the amount of oil that we use. We remain in constant competition right now with India, China, and other developing Nations, and the world does not have the resources to continue to supply us all with cheap oil, especially with disruptions in the Middle East that continue to affect production. I supported the American Clean Energy and Security Act last session because it took steps to immediately reduce demand through improved vehicle fuel economy standards and energy efficient technology in our buildings and homes, while investing in clean energy, including an increased commitment to the research and development of offshore wind. We should put our money behind those efforts instead of giving billions of dollars in tax breaks each year to oil companies.…”