Sen. Lamar Alexander today spoke with reporters at a Senate Republican press conference about calling on Congress to address high gasoline and natural gas costs and praised Republican Leader Mitch McConnell for seeking to force the Senate to debate serious energy legislation.
Sen. McConnell is seeking debate on Senator Pete Domenici’s American Energy Production Act, S. 2958.
“Day after day, gasoline prices get higher and higher without Congress taking any serious action,” Sen. Alexander said. “Unlike Democratic leaders, American families cannot ignore rising gasoline prices. Leader McConnell and Senate Republicans are right to demand debate on serious energy legislation. Now is the time to put us on a path to achieving lasting clean energy independence, and today’s action is a step in the right direction to lower gas prices and help family budgets.”
Sen. Alexander is calling for a “New Manhattan Project for Clean Energy Independence” to focus the nation on meeting America’s fuel demands while freeing the country from reliance on foreign oil.
He will deliver an address on this effort at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee on Friday, May 9, and at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., on Monday.