Merkley and Wyden Call for Action to Lower Gas Prices

Posted by Sarah Lane on August 6, 2008

Today House Speaker Jeff Merkley joined Senator Ron Wyden in calling for real action to lower gas prices. There was no better place to address the high cost of energy prices than a gas station right here in Portland Oregon. The cost of gasoline is hovering around $4 a gallon and working families are feeling the pain at the pump.

Senator Wyden wasted no time in addressing our energy crisis. Here's what Wyden had to say about Jeff's leadership on energy issues:

"I think folks here at home know that I have been trying to change our flawed, ill advised energy policy for a long time. On issue after issue, we have seen filibusters in the United States Senate. One of the reasons I wanted to come today is because I want you to help send Jeff Merkley to the United States Senate so we can get a new energy policy. We have a lot of tough fights ahead and we're going to have to take on the some of the biggest lobbies, and some of the most powerful interests in the country to bring about change. A lot of people talk about change but Jeff has actually been able to bring about change. There's one reason why Oregon is on its way to being the greenest state in the country, the Saudi Arabia of renewables, and that's because Jeff Merkley our next Senator, led the fight for renewables in the Oregon legislature."

After a rousing speech by Wyden, Jeff Merkley praised Wyden's leadership on energy issues in the Senate. Here's what he had to say:

Senator Wyden has done a spectacular job both on the energy and natural resources committee and on the floor of the Senate. Fighting for a smart energy future for America, an energy future that serves our foreign policy and that serves our national security. Fighting for an energy future that creates a good foundation for our economy and an energy future that is simply right for the environment. Unfortunately, Senator Wyden's leadership and his votes have so often been canceled out by Gordon Smith who has a very different view of the world.

Jeff is right, Gordon Smith has a very different view of the world and a different view on energy issues. Both Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley have consistently supported investing in renewables rather than giving tax breaks to big oil companies. Gordon Smith has supported 18 billion in tax breaks for big oil. Where has that taken us? Not far considering the high price of gasoline these days. Jeff went on to talk about steps we need to take to lower gas prices:

I will team up with Senator Wyden to close the London loophole and stop speculation in oil. We will increase production by utilizing the strategic petroleum reserve, creating use it or lose it provisions on the 68 million acres of leases that the oil companies already have control of. We need to keep Alaska oil for America and not ship it overseas. We need to end our dependence on foreign oil by accelerating investments in new renewable fuel technologies. There are four automakers who are planning by 2010 to have plug in hybrids.Those are hybrid cars that you can plug in and charge up overnight. We need to make those cars affordable for ordinary families. We need to have a huge transition in the way we consume fuel in this nation, in domestic passenger transportation.

Here are a few pictures from the event......