PRINTER'S NO. 4244
No. 852 Session of 2008
INTRODUCED BY GODSHALL, PRESTON, ADOLPH, BAKER, BOBACK, BRENNAN,
CALTAGIRONE, CLYMER, GILLESPIE, HARKINS, HERSHEY, KENNEY,
KILLION, LONGIETTI, MELIO, READSHAW, REICHLEY, ROCK, SAYLOR,
SCAVELLO, SWANGER AND WATSON, AUGUST 21, 2008
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON CONSUMER AFFAIRS, AUGUST 21, 2008
A RESOLUTION
1 Memorializing the Congress of the United States to intently
2 examine its energy policies and make any and all necessary
3 changes in order to address the ever-increasing price of
4 energy on behalf of the citizens of this Commonwealth and of
5 this nation.
6 WHEREAS, Fossil fuels, coal, oil and natural gas currently
7 provide more than 85% of all the energy consumed in the United
8 States, nearly two-thirds of our electricity and virtually all
9 of our transportation fuels; and
10 WHEREAS, The price of fossil fuels has increased fivefold
11 since 2000, the price of a gallon of gasoline has more than
12 doubled since 2000, the cost of home heating oil has increased
13 approximately 75% since 2007 and the price of steam coal, which
14 is utilized in order to make electricity, will increase 25% in
15 2009-2010; and
16 WHEREAS, The ongoing instability in the Middle East has led
17 to an era of uncertainty and, even with the aggressive
18 development and implementation of alternative and renewable
1 sources of energy, the United States must place a greater
2 emphasis on the domestic production of fossil fuels in an effort
3 to assist the people of this Commonwealth and of this nation;
4 and
5 WHEREAS, The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting
6 Countries (OPEC) has been reluctant to increase oil production,
7 even with demand increasing due to the industrialization of
8 countries like China and India, thus driving the price of oil up
9 and placing a greater financial burden on consumers; and
10 WHEREAS, The high cost of energy, especially fossil fuels,
11 has begun to cripple the economy of both this Commonwealth and
12 this country, leading to increasing prices related to vital
13 entities, such as food; and
14 WHEREAS, A tiny portion of the Arctic National Wildlife
15 Refuge contains an estimated 10.4 billion barrels of oil, which
16 if developed, would be the largest producing oil field in the
17 Northern Hemisphere; and
18 WHEREAS, There is an additional 86 billion barrels of oil and
19 420 trillion cubic feet of natural gas undeveloped in the Outer
20 Continental Shelf; and
21 WHEREAS, Eighty-five percent of the Outer Continental Shelf
22 and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is off limits to
23 development; and
24 WHEREAS, The Congress has blocked further development of
25 those areas as recently as June 2008; and
26 WHEREAS, The electric industry is seeking to increase prices
27 in Pennsylvania after the electric generation caps expire, thus
28 placing even more of a fiscal burden on residents of this
29 Commonwealth and this nation; and
30 WHEREAS, The record cost of gasoline has decreased travel
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1 volume, which is negatively impacting the tourism and
2 recreational economy in this Commonwealth and all across the
3 country; therefore be it
4 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
5 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the Congress of the United
6 States to exercise due diligence on behalf of the citizens of
7 this Commonwealth and of this nation by exercising regulatory
8 control and oversight in order to help eradicate high energy
9 prices and assist the citizens of this Commonwealth and of this
10 nation.
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