Media

Washington, D.C. -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent the following letter to House Republican Leader John Boehner today in response to a letter sent yesterday from the House GOP leadership.

Below is a text of the letter:

August 5, 2008

The Honorable John A. Boehner

House Republican Leader

H-204, The Capitol

Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Leader Boehner:

Thank you for your letter from the House GOP leadership yesterday on gas prices.

America uses nearly a quarter of the world's oil, but sits atop less than 3 percent of the world's reserves. According to the Bush Administration's own Energy Department, if we repealed the offshore drilling ban today, oil and gas production would not begin there until 2017, and impact on prices before 2030 would be "insignificant." We cannot drill our way out of this problem.

Washington, D.C. -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today in response to calls from Senator McCain that Congress resume session to consider energy proposals:

"Senator McCain wants to call Congress back into session to vote on 'drill only' proposals that he knows full well will not provide immediate relief to consumers, and yet he was absent from the Senate during critical votes to cut subsidies for Big Oil, help consumers and promote renewables and conservation.

"The New Direction Congress will continue to demand that the President release oil from our nation's stockpile to provide immediate relief in 10 days, unlike the McCain-Republican-Big Oil plan that lowers prices at the pump by 2 cents in 10 years. Freeing a small amount of our oil from government stockpiles is the only immediate solution to the pain at the pump.

Democrats offered a real solution to high energy prices that would bring immediate relief within 10 days by forcing the President to free our oil from the nation's stockpile. The Republicans propose to giveaway public lands to Big Oil, which will not immediately reduce the price at the pump and save Americans only 2 cents 10 years from now. This Republican hoax is unworthy of the serious debate we must have to reduce the price at the pump and promote energy independence.

House Republicans have opposed forcing oil companies to drill on the 68 million acres they already control, new investments in renewable energy, increasing vehicle fuel efficiency standards, making mass transit more affordable, cracking down on price gouging, and releasing oil from the government's stockpile.

From the Majority Leader's Office:

Some in GOP Engage in Stunts, After House GOP Blocks Real Efforts to Combat High Gas Prices

WASHINGTON - House Majority Leader Hoyer Steny Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today: