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WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) today took to the Senate floor to urge his colleagues to support efforts to increase domestic oil production as a means to counter long-term high gas prices.

“We have the largest recoverable resources of oil, gas and coal of any nation on the planet. America’s recoverable resources are larger than the combined supply of Saudi Arabia, China and Canada. Despite that, we depend on hostile regimes—and nations who have agendas that are often at odds with our own—for much of our oil,” Boozman said on the floor. “It doesn’t have to be this way. The Keystone XL pipeline, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), and drilling in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico alone would produce 3 million barrels of oil per day. The lack of will in Washington to increase production here at home is unnecessary. It is literal road block. It prevents our economy from picking up, increases the costs Americans pay for fuel, and it creates an enormous liability for our national and economic security.”

Boozman began his speech by focusing on the effects of high gas prices on the Natural State’s small businesses, farmers, municipalities and hardworking Arkansans.

“And for hardworking Arkansans, it is changing the way they live—and not for the better. It is especially painful for our seniors and single parents who live on fixed incomes. The high price of gas is one of the top issues I am hearing about in letters, calls, and during my visits across the state,” Boozman said. “The overwhelming common thread in those responses is that Washington needs to do something about the high cost of gas.”

The following is the transcript of Boozman’s remarks as prepared for delivery:

Mr. President,

As February came to a close, it left behind it an unfortunate new record. At $3.73 per gallon, the national average for unleaded gasoline was the highest ever recorded during this month.

Prior to this morning’s drop of three-tenths of a cent, gas prices had been on the rise for 27 straight days. In just three years, gas prices have doubled and they are not stopping there. Back home in Arkansas, the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline is up over 25 cents from a month ago.

Many analysts are predicting we will hit $4 per gallon by summer. Think about what that does to our economy.

For our small business owners and farmers, it means higher overhead. Those costs, ultimately, get passed on to consumers. In very dire cases—which many of our small businesses already face due to reduced profit margins, threat of higher taxes and an increase in regulations—high gas prices could be the final straw.

It puts extra pressure on the budgets of our already cash-strapped local governments. Just the other day I was reading a story from the Booneville Democrat that documented the negative effects that the price of gas has on Logan County, Arkansas. The County Judge, Gus Young, noted that if gas prices reach four dollars, it is “going to take away from other things that need to be done.”

In Blytheville, Arkansas—which is a 300-mile trek from Booneville—those same concerns are being voiced. In the Blytheville Courier News, former mayor Barrett Harrison described how in recent years, despite efforts to use more fuel efficient vehicles and cut down on idle time, the city would “still end up having to amend the budget at the end of the year” due to high fuel costs.

And for hardworking Arkansans, it is changing the way they live—and not for the better. It is especially painful for our seniors and single parents who live on fixed incomes. The high price of gas is one of the top issues I am hearing about in letters, calls, and during my visits across the state. I also recently posed the question about how the rising price of gasoline in Arkansas is affecting them on my Facebook page. I want to share a few of the responses I received.

Tim in Rogers, Arkansas said “the more we have to pay for gas, the less money we have for the other necessities and pleasures of life and living.”

Melody in Central Arkansas said it costs her family “nearly sixty-five dollars to fill up their truck” and said they have limited their driving to only their doctor in Hot Springs and the grocery store.

And it goes on from there. Many respondents said that it limits their spending at places like the grocery store and will affect their vacation plans. The overwhelming common thread in those responses is that Washington needs to do something about the high cost of gas.

There is no denying that rising fuel prices are hurting Americans and further complicating our efforts to revitalize the economy. There is also no denying that we are not moving fast enough to address these concerns. Americans want to know why, while their gas bills mount, Washington still does not have an energy policy. It is past time that we move forward on one and that begins with increasing our energy production here at home.

We have the largest recoverable resources of oil, gas and coal of any nation on the planet. America’s recoverable resources are larger than the combined supply of Saudi Arabia, China and Canada. Despite that, we depend on hostile regimes—and nations who have agendas that are often at odds with our own—for much of our oil.

The current tension between Israel and Iran only serves to make matters worse. If Israel strikes Iran, there is a good chance that the Iranians could attack Saudi Arabia’s oil fields to retaliate against the West.

It doesn’t have to be this way. The Keystone XL pipeline, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), and drilling in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico alone would produce 3 million barrels of oil per day. The lack of will in Washington to increase production here at home is unnecessary. It is literal road block. It prevents our economy from picking up, increases the costs Americans pay for fuel, and it creates an enormous liability for our national and economic security.

President Obama has said that increased domestic oil production is unnecessary as he contends it is at the highest it has been in 8 years. However, you only get those numbers by relying heavily on production on private lands in North Dakota, Texas and Alaska. We simply are not utilizing the resources we have been blessed with on public lands.

We can make a major dent in the problem simply by opening the Outer Continental Shelf and ANWR to drilling in an environmentally responsible way. The Outer Continental Shelf alone is estimated to contain enough oil and natural gas to meet America’s energy needs for about 60 years. Energy exploration and production in ANWR would take place on just a small portion of the 1.5 million acre northern coastal plain, yet will allow us to safely produce 900,000 barrels of oil per day for the next 30 years. I’ve been there. I have seen firsthand that this can be done in an environmentally safe way.

Similarly, the Keystone pipeline would transport 700,000 barrels of oil per day from Canada to U.S. refineries in the Gulf Coast. And it too can be constructed and run in an environmentally safe manner. Tapping into Canada’s oil sands—one of the world’s largest oil reserves— would help ease our dependence on hostile regimes for oil. As global demand for oil surges and the Canadians increase production, the addition of the Keystone pipeline would allow us to get reliable and secure oil from our largest trading partner and trusted ally.

Unfortunately, President Obama has punted on every opportunity we have given him to move Keystone Pipeline forward. That’s why I am supporting legislation to approve the project under Congress’s authority enumerated in the Commerce Clause. This same Congressional authority was used to move the Alaska Pipeline forward 40 years ago, which has dramatically increased the amount of oil produced here at home.

I have long supported legislation that puts a heavy investment into researching wind, solar, hydrogen and other technologies. These will ultimately ease our dependence on foreign oil and gas. But we need relief now and American oil is necessary and available.

For the foreseeable future, our economy will rely heavily on fossil fuels. While we certainly need to encourage the market for alternative energy sources, it has yet to be fully developed. But there is no denying that by stalling domestic production, we create an unnecessary burden on an already weak economy and are hurting our efforts to meet our energy needs. We need to lift the moratorium on offshore oil development, open ANWR for exploration and move the Keystone pipeline forward instead of further postponing the decision.

As I mentioned earlier, the people of Arkansas are demanding action from Washington. They are frustrated by the higher totals that appear on the receipts every time they go to fill up their car. They are tired of seeing more and more of their disposable income being eaten up at the pump. Let’s start providing them relief by increasing production here at home.