09.18.08
Ruiz blasts Carter siding with Big Oil
Rep. John Cater (R-Exxon Mobil) and his Republican colleagues had been crowing since August about how they wanted a vote on an energy bill that included more offshore drilling. They even used a political ploy, staged sham sessions while Congress was on its summer recess, to plead their case.
“This fight will not go away until Speaker Pelosi allows an up-or-down vote on energy legislation that relieves the back-breaking burden on our citizens,” Carter said.
Well when Summer recess was over the majority came back and had a debate about energy, which included more offshore drilling, and the GOP got their vote. Only Rep. Carter and the vast majority of his GOP cohorts voted against it. Not enough tax breaks for oil corporations we can assume.
Here’s Brian Ruiz, Carter’s Democratic Opponents take on it, Who is My Opponent Representing? Here’s an excerpt:
In the last few months our Republican incumbent has been crying about not having an opportunity to vote for oil drilling and help the average American by lowering gas prices. Well, last night he had an opportunity to do just that, help the average American by lowering gas prices, and instead decided, again, to side with his Grand Oil Party and voted against HR 6899 (FYI, our Republican incumbent has taken thousands of dollars from Oil Company Lobbyists and owns millions of dollars of Exxon Mobil stock).
There’s much more including what Rep. Chet Edwards (D-Waco) had to say about the new bill.
The bill will release 10% of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), or 70 million barrels of oil. In 1991 when former President Bush released just 17 million barrels of oil from the SPR, oil prices dropped by 33.4% in just one day. In 2000, when President Clinton release oil from the SPR, oil prices dropped by 18.7%.
The fact is that releasing oil from the SPR is a proven way to drive down oil prices quickly. By dramatically increasing the supply of oil on the market, we will drive down the price of oil… Now I can see why oil speculators don’t like the idea of lower prices. I can see why Exxon Mobil doesn’t like the idea of oil lower prices. I can’t see quite see why my Republican House colleagues have voted against releasing oil from this SPR earlier this year and none of their bills include this idea. It makes one wonder just whose side are they on now? (Empahsis added).
It sure would be nice to have a member of Congress from District 31 that cared about regular people like us as Edwards does. If you feel the same way help elect on of us, help out Brian Ruiz.