mr. speaker , as the summer driving season is set to begin , gasoline prices are at a record high . 
while some continue to blame the bush administration and the republicans in congress , the truth is that neither is responsible for the record highs . 
the reason for the high gas prices includes the cost of crude oil due to a worldwide explosion in demand , the lack of refinery processing capacity , and the overregulation here in washington . 
the house will get the opportunity to address this problem this week with the house bringing to the floor the energy policy act of 2005 , h.r. 6 . 
the long-awaited legislation contains a number of provisions that would lower gas prices . 
h.r. 6 encourages more domestic production of oil with incentives such as a streamlined permit process , promotes a greater refining capacity to bring more oil to market , and increases the gasoline supply by stopping the proliferation of expensive regional boutique fuels . 
the department of energy predicts by 2025 u.s. oil and natural gas demand will rise by 46 percent , with energy demand increasing 1 percent for every 2 percent in gdp growth . 
critics of h.r. 6 claim that it would do little to curb consumption or drive down prices . 
in fact , this legislation includes provisions to do just that . 
in order to scale back demand for oil , the proposal encourages vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells and increases funding for the department of transportation to work to improve fuel efficiency standards . 
furthermore , it authorizes $ 200 million for the clean cities program which will provide grants to state and local governments to acquire alternative-fueled vehicles . 
curbing demand is necessary , but it is not nearly enough to lower the price of gas . 
we also need to increase domestic production of oil . 
ending our dependence on foreign oil is not only important to the economy but also doubly important to national security . 
currently , the u.s. imports about 60 percent of its oil . 
the department of energy projects this number will increase to 73 percent by 2025 . 
in order to ensure reliable and secure supplies of oil , we have no choice but simply to increase our domestic supply . 
domestic energy production must be increased without compromising a clean environment . 
there have been giant leaps in technology that would produce oil and natural gas in an environmentally safe manner . 
we need a comprehensive energy policy that recognizes that sophisticated new technology greatly reduces adverse impacts on the environment by exploration and production . 
along with the incredible advances in technology , transportation , and medicine that improve our lives comes the increased need for energy . 
in addition , overregulation by the government also contributes to regional and seasonal price fluctuations that increase costs and , of course , reduce flexibility to meet consumer demand . 
according to the energy information agency , last year refining costs represented about 20 percent of the retail cost of gasoline . 
by simply scaling back the excessive and cumbersome federal regulations on refiners , we could significantly reduce these costs . 
for example , the 1990 clean air act amendments mandate the sale of cleaner burning reformulated gasoline in order to reduce summer smog in nine major metropolitan areas . 
the law also requires that rfg contain at least 2 percent oxygen by weight . 
to comply with these regulations , refiners must switch from winter grade fuel to costlier summer blend gasoline . 
according to the federal trade commission , this adds 4 cents to 8 cents per gallon to the price of gasoline . 
likewise , complying with a national low sulfur gasoline regulation for passenger cars not only represents scientific challenges for refiners but also could adversely affect gasoline supply and , of course , availability . 
the industry will need to invest more than $ 8 billion over the next 3 years to meet this requirement , which will result in higher prices at the pump . 
this hodgepodge of customized fuel requirements increases production costs which are ultimately reflected in the price of gasoline that we pay today . 
these varied gasoline specifications also restrict the ability of refiners and distributors to move supplies around the country in response to local and , of course , regional shortages . 
high gas prices affect every sector of the american economy and especially hit families the hardest . 
congress has been debating and debating this issue for too long . 
we now have the chance to enact this week comprehensive energy legislation that will go a long way to lower the cost of gasoline . 
we need to fully embrace this opportunity before it is too late . 
