Schakowsky Condemns High Gas Prices

SCHAKOWSKY CONDEMNS HIGH GAS PRICES

WASHINGTON, DC–U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) released the following statement in response to the latest news that Chicago has the highest gas prices in the country. The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in Chicago is $3.59 a gallon, which is over 40 cents more than the national average.

"I'm alarmed that Chicago has the highest prices in the country. The recent spike in gas prices has already had a devastating impact on the budgets of thousands of Illinois families and small businesses. Illinoisans are bearing the burden of escalating gasoline prices, while big oil companies continue to enjoy record profits.

For six years, the Bush Administration and the Republican Congress refused to lift a finger against the oil companies as they continued to reap record profits on the backs of hard-working Americans. Not only did they fail to develop an energy policy to make our country less dependent on foreign oil, but they also failed to provide immediate relief by refusing to open the strategic petroleum reserves, support anti-price gouging legislation or a windfall profit tax.

This Big Oil Administration has had more than six years to deal with this problem, yet they choose to side with the oil company's cronies at the expense of the American people.

Now, it is up to the new Democrat-led Congress to help bring gas prices down. In January, the new Congress rolled back multi-billion dollar taxpayer subsidies for big oil companies and in order to reinvest that money in renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Tomorrow, I will be participating in an Energy and Commerce Subcommittee hearing on gasoline prices and the soaring profits of oil companies. We must address this problem before skyrocketing fuel prices cripple our economy and devastate the budgets of millions of American families and businesses....