Conservative Obstruction Blocks Progress on Energy

A number of progressive solutions were offered in Congress that would have made more meaningful contributions to solving our energy crisis than the "drill here, drill now" sloganeering from the right. But it's been the conservatives in Congress who have been blocking consideration of common-sense solutions that would have brought immediate as well as long-term relief to consumers. For example, conservatives in Congress have blocked:

• Tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which now holds over 700 million barrels of oil. Releasing a small fraction of the Reserve—which was done in 1991, 2000, and 2005—would immediately lower gas prices as it has in the past. But conservatives in Congress have voted against this modest measure.
• A ban on gasoline price-gouging, which would make it unlawful to artificially inflate gas prices to take excessive profits. Conservatives in Congress voted against an anti-price gouging bill.
• A crackdown on oil price speculators, the hedge funds and investment bankers who have used loopholes in commodities law to manipulate the futures market and drive the price of crude oil to record levels. Conservatives oppose legislation to stop excessive speculation.
• Helping hard-pressed Americans with a tax break paid for by a windfall-profits tax on Big Oil. The big oil companies are reaping undeserved profits that should be taxed and rebated to American families, but conservatives in the Senate blocked a windfall profits tax in June.

Conservatives are good at grandstanding, but they can't escape blame for the lack of real progress on energy.