Maria Cantwell: “I rise tonight to continue the discussion on the votes we are going to have tomorrow on this important legislation and…”

“I rise tonight to continue the discussion on the votes we are going to have tomorrow on this important legislation and, really, what will be the start of the legislative alternative to deal with the high price of gasoline. I know tomorrow there is going to be a vote, and many of my colleagues have come to the floor talking about the high price of gasoline and what we need to do about it. I know going home this weekend and filling up my own car I spent over $3.80, and almost $3.90 a gallon. It is not lost on the consumers of Washington State that this problem has to be fixed. Many of my colleagues are talking about supply. And while I wish this was an issue of simple supply and demand, I think the market is showing us that it is not about supply and demand; that it is about the manipulation of oil markets and the fact that we have deregulated the energy futures market and created loopholes so that the speculators can have their say in how the market functions without the proper oversight that I think we need to restore.”