06/24/11 Thursday, Congressman Joe Donnelly released the following statement after U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced that the Department of Energy will release 30 million barrels of oil from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) as a part of international efforts to release 60 million barrels of oil onto the market over the next month.
“Gas prices are too high,” said Donnelly. “This simple fact has dramatically impacted working families’ pocketbooks across our great state, and we need to find ways to lower gas prices at the pump right now to give them some relief. I welcome the news that the Department of Energy plans to release oil from the SPR. I wrote to the president this week asking that he direct the Department of Energy to release oil from the SPR and temporarily suspend the purchase of oil for the SPR. By releasing oil onto the market, we can drive down oil prices and provide families struggling to fill their tanks much needed relief at the pump.
In the long-term, our country needs a comprehensive energy policy to increase our energy supply and conserve what we can. We must stop sending billions of American dollars overseas for energy that we can create right here at home.”
To read Donnelly’s letter to President Obama, click here. To read more about Donnelly’s efforts to address rising gas prices, click here.
