Zeldin Wants Congress to Declare War On Gas Prices

MASTIC, NY (05/05/2008)(readMedia)-- Concerned about the increasing cost of gas, military veteran and congressional candidate Lee Zeldin called on Congress today to declare war against the "price pinch at the pump."

As oil hovers near $120 a barrel, Zeldin aims to bring down the cost by boosting domestic production, encouraging the use of new technologies, and suspending taxes that keep the price per gallon artificially high.

"With more than 60 cents of every gallon going to taxes, the biggest beneficiaries aren't Big Oil executives, but Washington bureaucrats," said Zeldin, a Shirley resident.

Zeldin said that in addition to a three-month moratorium on the federal gas tax, he has also wants state and county officials to follow suit.

Zeldin said a successful approach also necessitates independence from foreign oil, recognizing that to do so requires not only increased use of wind and solar power, but modern exploration at home.

Likewise, by enabling responsible oil and gas exploration to occur on a fraction of Alaska's North Slope, the United States could add more than one million barrels per day to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline system. Citing figures from the Office of Management and Budget, Zeldin said that it also would "steer hundreds of billions to the federal treasury, cut the national debt, and stimulate our economy."

Nevertheless, he still sees a critical role for imported oil. "While American taxpayers shell out over $100 billion a year on the war, the Iraqi government has yet to allocate any of its $70 billion in oil surpluses," said Zeldin.

Though the Democratic Party has run Congress for nearly two years, and four in five Americans feel the nation is 'headed in the wrong direction,' the candidate retains an optimism that a new course can come with new leadership.

The nationwide average for regular unleaded gasoline is $3.62 per gallon, $1.29 higher than it was on the day Nancy Pelosi was sworn in as Speaker of the House two Januarys ago. A new Gallup survey shows that 42 percent of Americans believe rising gas prices constitutes a "crisis," and that one in five Americans expect gas to rise to $5 by summer's end.

"Rarely have there been such clear-cut solutions to such a challenging issue," Zeldin said.

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