Jenkins supports bills to ease gas prices

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Herald-Tribune

U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins, R-Kan., has announced that she will be co-sponsoring three bills geared toward keeping gas prices from getting out of control.

Jenkins recently completed a tour of the Kansas 2nd Congressional District in which she personally felt the effects of rising gas prices. In addition, she said the issue was brought up in many of her meetings.

"I spent a lot of time behind the wheel this week as I traveled from my home in Topeka to locations throughout the district," she said in a statement. "One thing was perfectly clear every time I pulled into another gas station. Gas prices are hitting historic highs in Eastern Kansas and across the country. As I heard in my Congress to Kansas events over the last two weeks, each and every one of us is feeling the pain at the pump."

With the national average for regular unleaded fuel at $3.90 per gallon, according to AAA.com, Jenkins said the American people are demanding solutions, not excuses. In an effort to find solutions, Jenkins announced she will be co-sponsoring H.R. 1229, the Putting the Gulf of Mexico Back to Work Act, H.R. 1230, the Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act, and H.R. 1231, the Reversing President Obama's Offshore Moratorium Act.

"I look forward to supporting them wholeheartedly when they reach the House floor and am hopeful that the Democrat-controlled Senate and White House will see fit to pass and sign them into law," she said. "It is time for Washington to stop making excuses and to start finding real solutions like these three bills that ease this cost burden on the American people."

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These bills are a joke. there is no shortage of oil. The price increases are caused by commodity brokers.

-- Posted by sam floor on Sat, Apr 30, 2011, at 8:42 AM
That sounds good- can you talk to the Minnesota U.S. Rep. and see if they will join you in this fight/cause? Why can't "the people" be allowed to vote on these things? We are paying $3.97 for fuel and $4.15 for diesel- that is just NUTS!!! How can I get a letter to the President? I want to ask him some questions?

-- Posted by vroggenkamp on Sat, Apr 30, 2011, at 12:29 PM
This increase is caused by speculators (commodity brokers) these bills are just an attempt to look like they are doing something.. Neither congress nor the president can do anything. This is just a part of our free market system. If you could get the SEC to control them, it might help, but the Republican party has pushed for fewer government controls.

-- Posted by sam floor on Sat, Apr 30, 2011, at 1:20 PM
In Europe, when you figure in the difference in money value and the litre versus the gallon, they are paying about $9.00 gallon, so I guess it could be worse.

-- Posted by sam floor on Sat, Apr 30, 2011, at 1:23 PM
wanna see gas prices drop like a rock open unrestricted drilling and we will be back to 1.00 a gallon in no time just by the threat people we have the oil here we have the tools to get it out the refineries to make it and a government to stop all of this cause there greedy and making millions from the gas companies good god exxon reported a 4 billion dollar profit this quarter come on thats crazy something has to be done before the next american revolution starts

-- Posted by 3D-shooter on Sat, Apr 30, 2011, at 2:57 PM
Drilling won't help. There is no shortage, People just don't understand. You could dump all the oil on the market that you want. This is about people betting on what the price will be. The same thing that sets cattle, hogs and grain prices. This is the deregulated market. There are tankers waiting to unload at the refineries as they process.

-- Posted by sam floor on Sat, Apr 30, 2011, at 5:31 PM
sam floor i agree with what you say and i also disagree i agree its the people betting on the fact that the gas companies are greedy and will jack us for every penny they think they can get to the tone of 11 billion yes i said billion in the first quarter of the year but on the other hand were buying forien oil because we cant/wont drill our own oil we have alot of oil in our country that we could use everyone knows this but because of either our government or some animal that might go bye bye we dont drill what we could need i remind everyone of the alaskan pipe line we all know the gas prices are a joke but the part of this artical that just erks me is she said she personaly felt the presure of the gas prices my question i assume it hurt her feelings to spend more of out tax dollars to fill her car up come on

-- Posted by 3D-shooter on Sat, Apr 30, 2011, at 9:57 PM
Well she's Republican and her party is the one against regulation of the companies that are getting rich off the oil prices.

-- Posted by sam floor on Sat, Apr 30, 2011, at 10:09 PM
Sam you are 100% correct. The only thing I want to add is the reason tankers are waiting to unload oil is because there are not enough oil refineries to process the oil. You can add a billion barrels of oil a day but if you can't turn it into gas its useless.

-- Posted by concerned_nevadian on Sun, May 1, 2011, at 12:43 PM
Many people don't realize that a gas station only makes 2 or 3 cents a gallon. Where they do make a bigger profit is when they raise the price on the gas that is already in the ground and don't wait until they buy the higher priced gas. But we would probably all do that.

-- Posted by sam floor on Sun, May 1, 2011, at 1:09 PM
thats true sam they dont make alot off of gas but knowing a store owner real well he said he makes him money getting you in the store but thats neither here or there as for jenkins being a republican that doesnt matter republican democrat tea party it doesnt matter show me someone that will say hey im an american and i wanna be president thats what i want a president or rep. that says im an american before im a republican or democrat or tea party just be an american first

-- Posted by 3D-shooter on Sun, May 1, 2011, at 8:19 PM
To keep oil prices at a reasonable price, you would need to regulate the commodities market. Republicans would scream you are interfering in the free market by regulating oil. Open all land to drilling would not bring the price down either. The oil pumped out of Alaska is sold to foreign markets who are willing to pay whatever price. Just because it's drilled in the US, deosn't mean it stays in the US. And a week dollar means we pay more than the foreign buyers. And if the debt ceiling isn't raised, watch the dollar go to hell and then you'll be complainging about the price of gas. Keep in mind the Big Picture.

-- Posted by Oneofus on Mon, May 2, 2011, at 10:39 AM
Exacrly, oneofus. That's what I have been saying. On another note, a friend in Michigan told me it hit $4.30 there today. And they already have one of the most economically depressed areas in the country.

-- Posted by sam floor on Mon, May 2, 2011, at 3:04 PM
this is the free market unregulated. if the government became involved and tried to regulate the GOP would scream socialist, or communist, all this is a result of deregualtion.

The amount that Exxon/Mobil made in the first quarter was 10.2 BILLION profit. They control all facets of of oil, from exploration, to refining, to transportation, they also participate in the trading market. so do you think it's rig? And even better yet these same congress men/women get up and say how the poor corporation in the US we have the highest corporate tax rate in the world. If that is the case why such large profits, why did G/E not pay one cent on billion of dollars of profits and in fact received back from the fed 3.8 billion.

Yep welcome to the oligarchy.

-- Posted by endersgame on Tue, May 3, 2011, at 4:44 PM

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