We have a serious problem. Our nation is addicted to oil. Oil companies make record profits while the rest of us pay record prices at the pump. Global warming grows worse. And our security remains at risk. Soaring oil prices are hurting consumers and the entire economy -- from drivers, to the airline and trucking industries, to the cost of food.

President Bush and the majority of his supporters in Congress have one response -- drill for more oil off our protected coastlines. But that’s not a solution, it is effort to disguise this Administration’s failed energy policy, the result of having two men from the oil industry running the White House for the past seven and a half years.

Here’s one way to understand the President’s offshore drilling plan -- the average family in California would pay $140,000 for gasoline before they would see one penny in relief at the pump. That’s because new offshore oil production will do little to bring down gas prices, but it would jeopardize pristine and invaluable coastlines that are critical to the economies of California and other states -- and in the decades it would take for new offshore oil drilling to produce any oil, we would continue to pay ever higher prices at the pump.

According to a 2007 report by the federal Energy Information Administration, new offshore drilling “…would not have a significant impact on domestic crude oil and natural gas production or prices before 2030. Leasing would begin no sooner than 2012, and production would not be expected to start before 2017…Because oil prices are determined on the international market, however, any impact on average wellhead prices is expected to be insignificant.”

I support a comprehensive energy plan to provide immediate relief at the pump and long-term solutions through investments in new technology, new sources of energy and fuels, efficiency, and conservation that will help reduce our dependence on oil.

The President should release a small portion of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to immediately expand available oil supplies and reduce prices. There are 700 million barrels of oil in the reserve; the President could safely and easily release 70 million barrels between now and December.

The House just approved the “use it or lose it” bill to compel oil companies to drill on existing leases or lose their right to the leases. Oil companies hold leases to over 68 million acres of federal lands and offshore areas that are open for drilling right now but where no drilling is taking place.

I support legislation to curb oil market speculation that is partially responsible for price spikes. The Energy Markets Emergency Act, which the House has passed, directs federal regulators to use all available authority and emergency tools to curtail excessive speculation and other practices distorting the energy market.

We must continue to invest in renewables, efficiency and conservation. I voted to repeal $14 billion in subsidies and tax breaks for the largest oil companies and to invest that money instead in clean renewable energy and alternative fuels and energy efficiency. In one of the most hard-fought and significant victories of the new Democratically-led Congress, we forced the President last December to sign into law a bill that increases gas mileage standards for the first time in 25 years, saving American families $700 to $1,000 per year at the pump. The new law also ensures that buildings, homes, appliances, and lighting are more energy efficient, and makes an historic commitment to renewable fuels, with the majority of the biofuels expansion coming from non-food crops.

We cannot drill our way out of this crisis – just ask T. Boone Pickens, who made billions in the oil industry and is now backing wind power. But a combination of efforts – from changing our individual driving and energy consumption habits to bold policy changes and investments – can cut our energy consumption while simultaneously strengthening the economy, combating global warming, creating new green jobs, and lowering our energy costs. In the meantime, we should release oil from the strategic reserve and pursue drilling in the areas where leasing is already safely allowed.

Under President Bush’s energy plan, the average family in California would pay $140,000 for gasoline before they would see one penny in relief at the pump.

The President’s plan to open protected coastlines to offshore oil drilling would not yield any price relief until the year 2030 and even then any relief would be "insignificant," according to the federal Energy Information Administration.

In that time, the average California family with two cars would spend $139,846 out of their own pocket for the price of gas at today’s prices.

The President has no answer to record high gas and energy prices. Calling for drilling off the coast of California and in other precious areas is a stunt to distract people from his failed energy policy. Record high gas prices are the result of having the White House run by two men from the oil industry who opposed every effort to break our addiction to oil.

Democrats in the House are taking action now to lower energy prices and reduce our dependence on oil.

The Democratic Plan: A Comprehensive Energy Solution

1. The President should release oil from our strategic reserves. I just met with the CEO’s of three major airlines who endorsed our call to release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

2. Oil companies should start to drill now in the more than 68 million acres of already leased onshore and offshore areas or lose their right to drill on those lands. I voted for the DRILL act, HR 6515, to compel oil companies to drill on leased lands and in the National Petroleum Reserve.

3. Investing in renewable energy and alternative fuels, efficiency, and conservation should remain a top priority for Congress.

4. Take responsible steps to crack down on speculation in oil markets that are driving prices up beyond the impact of supply and demand.

We need a comprehensive solution, not a Presidential political stunt.

The energy crisis is real. You feel it every day at the pump and when you pay utility bills or buy groceries.

The solution to high energy prices is complicated, but we can do something about it.

We must reduce market speculation, increase efficiency, and invest in conservation and renewable energy sources. Our plan would lower demand for oil, reduce spending on energy at home and on the road, begin to reduce global warming and grow our economy and good jobs.

The energy crisis is real. You feel it every day at the pump and when you pay utility bills.

The solution to high energy prices is complicated, but we can do something about it.

We must reduce market speculation, increase efficiency, and invest in conservation and renewable energy sources. Our plan would lower demand for oil, reduce spending on energy at home and on the road, begin to reduce global warming and grow our economy and good jobs.

In addition to long term planning, I support some key measures that will help Americans deal with energy prices today:

• Reduce fares for mass transit – through the Saving Energy Through Public Transportation Act of 2008 – to bring down the cost of mass transit.

• Direct the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to examine excessive oil speculation and use their emergency powers to take corrective action.

• Suspend the filling of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve through the end of the year.

• Supported the Gas Price Relief for Consumers Act of 2008 to give U.S. authorities the ability to prosecute anticompetitive conduct that restricts supply and drives up prices.

President Bush has a very different plan and has consistently blocked our modern approach. He wants to drill for oil off our coastlines and in the Alaska wilderness. But here’s the problem:

• Oil companies hold leases to over 68 million acres of U.S. lands open to drilling right now. Yet all sit idle.

• It would take 20 years before offshore oil drilling would reach full production and only reduce the cost of gas by one penny per gallon.

• His plan risks contaminating irreplaceable coastlines and pristine wilderness.

We need a modern plan, not just one more ‘fix’ for an oil addicted nation. Oil will remain an important part of our economy, but we can and must break our dependence.

What do you think? Should we open our coastlines to oil drilling? Should we crack down on oil speculators?

Leave your comments in the comments section below

Over 100 families took the huge step of attending the Foreclosure Prevention Workshop last Saturday. While Congress is working hard to make sure that families stay in their homes and to stabilize our housing market, the families that attended had the opportunity to attend workshops, meet with financial counselors and find solutions to each of their financial situations.

If you weren't able to attend the event last Saturday, and have questions about your mortgage or financial options, please contact the Richmond District Office at (925) 602-1880.

You can also watch news coverage of the event below.

Rep. George Miller, with Rep. Ellen Tauscher and Rep. Jerry McNerney, will be hosting a Congressional Foreclosure Prevention Workshop in Concord on Saturday, June 14th from 10am to 4pm.

The purpose of the free event is to provide immediate assistance to families facing foreclosure or who are concerned about their current housing and financial situation.

The workshop will consist of panel discussions, resource tables and loan counseling services. Representatives from housing counseling agencies will be available to provide advice to families.

For more information, please call (925) 602-1880.

Schedule of events:
10:15 AM
Welcome from Reps. Miller, Tauscher & McNerney

10:30 AM
Con’s & Scams: Don’t Get Taken! -- Ken McCormack, Contra Costa DA
Illegal Loans and Legal Options -- Noah Zinner, Bay Area Legal Aid
Foreclosure Options -- Lynette Gibson- McElhaney, Richmond NHS

11:30 AM
Qualifying for Federal Housing Authority (FHA) Loans -- Nancy Florez, HUD
Tax Implications for a Short Sale and Foreclosure -- Patrick Brown, Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

1:00 PM
Post-Foreclosure Credit Counseling -- Consumer Credit Counseling Services of SF (CCCS)
Randy Bupp, Bankruptcy Attorney -- Chapt 11 and Chapt 13

2:00 PM
Short Sale: What it is and what to expect -- Katrina Vizinau, CHDC
Eviction Process: Your Rights & Responsibilities -- Noah Zinner, Bay Area Legal Aid

Counseling Services:
Pacific Community Services – 2 Counselors
Richmond Neighborhood Housing Services – 4 Counselors
CHDC– 5 Counselors (2 of the 5 are bilingual)
Housing Rights – 1 Counselor
Vallejo Neighborhood Housing Services – 1 (bilingual)
ACORN Housing - 3

Resource Tables:
Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco
Catholic Charities of the East Bay
Contra Costa Crisis Center
Bay Area Legal Aid
Contra Costa Housing Authority
Constituent Services-- Tauscher
Constituent Services-- Miller
Constituent Services-- McNerney
Contra Costa County Bar Association
California Mortgage Association
Veterans Administration (for Home loan Information)
Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
Contra Costa Workforce Services
Consumer Credit Counseling Service of the East Bay

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