mr. speaker , we find ourselves with so many things happening now . 
we have increased gasoline prices , increased winter heating costs , natural gas prices are up , manufacturing jobs are down , all because the cost of energy has remained high . 
our demand for oil has grown , our production simply can not meet demands , and this has caused increased prices . 
we have increased population , and we want more manufacturers to remain in the united states . 
that means that we have to do something . 
mr. speaker , we do not need another hurricane to remind us that our energy infrastructure is wholly inadequate . 
had we taken action to prevent our energy problems years ago , we would not have been vulnerable to natural disasters . 
for 30 years , we sat back . 
we did not want to study it . 
we did not want to take inventories . 
we did not want to explore . 
we resisted drilling for oil or gas . 
we did not build refineries . 
we did not move to develop clean coal technology . 
we did not build nuclear power plants over those 30 years , while demand grew . 
and eventually the system snapped . 
we did the same thing over and over again and expected different results . 
until our refining capacity and production capacity expands , our oil markets will remain vulnerable to disruptions . 
we have to have increased conservation measures . 
we have to have the car-pooling measures in this bill . 
we have to have energy-efficient cars , but we have to have more refineries . 
during the last 30 years , our dependence or foreign energy has increased from 24 to 62 percent . 
how much further do we have to go ? 
the american people understand this , and that is why they support this . 
that is why labor unions support this bill . 
that is why we have to move this forward . 
the gasoline for america 's security act builds on the energy policy act of 2005 and keeps us moving in the right direction . 
it addresses a great deal of what we need , the use of biomass debris , car pooling , van pooling , requirements to direct the ftc to conduct an investigation into nationwide gasoline prices , and it does include anti-price-gouging measures . 
the other side says repeatedly it is not in there , but it does . 
it has anti-price-gouging measures and enforcement for gasoline , for diesel , for home heating oil , for crude oil . 
it is massive . 
there will be a temptation to blame the high gas prices on the storms alone or to use politics to block this . 
but the american people understand , you can not drive a car with politics in your tank or heat a home with politics . 
i support the rule and this bill . 
