Press Release of Senator Cantwell

57 Senators Support Cantwell Anti-Gas Price Gouging Bill

Republican Leadership Gimmicks Stop Consumer Protections from Becoming Law, Despite Majority Senate Support and Endorsement of 8 Governors and 9 Attorneys General Cantwell Vows to Continue the Fight to Protect Economy and Hard-Working Families from Sky-High Energy Costs

Thursday, November 17,2005

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) blasted Senate Republicans for blocking vital legislation to protect hard-working American families from skyrocketing fuel costs. 57 senators voted in favor of Cantwell’s Energy Emergency Consumer Protection Act, introduced today as an amendment to the Tax Reconciliation bill. The amendment needed a supermajority of 60 senators to pass and failed on a close 57 to 42 vote this afternoon. Cantwell has vowed to continue the fight to immediately establish federal anti-gas price gouging protections to guard against future profiteering and market manipulation.

“Americans will spend over $200 billion more on energy this year than they did last year,” Cantwell, a member of the Senate Energy Committee. “That’s hundreds of billions of dollars coming directly out of family budgets and the bottom lines of businesses across the country. I care about American consumers, about struggling family farms, and about airline employees about to loose their pensions, and I’m going to keep fighting to make price gouging a federal crime.”

Before heading to the floor to offer her legislation, Cantwell announced the support of nine attorneys general for her bill. She now leads a coalition of 29 senators, eight governors and nine attorneys general in the fight to protect consumers from soaring gas prices as oil executives rake in record profits.

Based on Cantwell’s measures to ban Enron-style manipulation schemes in the electricity industry, which became law as part of the recent energy bill, Cantwell’s legislation empowers federal regulators to ensure greater market transparency and go after companies for manipulation of oil and gas prices. It also gives the president the authority to declare national energy emergencies during which proven price gougers would be subject to new fines and criminal penalties.

Senator Maria Cantwell has called on Congress to address record-high fuel costs and has continued to fight to ensure fairness for consumers in the energy industry. Yesterday in a letter to Chairman Ted Stevens of the Commerce Committee and Chairman Pete Domenici of the Energy Committee, Cantwell and other senators requested that hearings reconvene as soon as possible to take sworn testimony from oil CEOs about their roles in the Cheney energy task force and the recent run-up in American fuel prices. Cantwell also called on the Justice Department to investigate the alleged false statements.


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Maria's Monday Memo To sign up for Maria's weekly newsletter, enter your email address: Search The Site	News Press Release of Senator Cantwell 57 Senators Support Cantwell Anti-Gas Price Gouging Bill Republican Leadership Gimmicks Stop Consumer Protections from Becoming Law, Despite Majority Senate Support and Endorsement of 8 Governors and 9 Attorneys General Cantwell Vows to Continue the Fight to Protect Economy and Hard-Working Families from Sky-High Energy Costs Thursday, November 17,2005 WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) blasted Senate Republicans for blocking vital legislation to protect hard-working American families from skyrocketing fuel costs. 57 senators voted in favor of Cantwell’s Energy Emergency Consumer Protection Act, introduced today as an amendment to the Tax Reconciliation bill. The amendment needed a supermajority of 60 senators to pass and failed on a close 57 to 42 vote this afternoon. Cantwell has vowed to continue the fight to immediately establish federal anti-gas price gouging protections to guard against future profiteering and market manipulation. “Americans will spend over $200 billion more on energy this year than they did last year,” Cantwell, a member of the Senate Energy Committee. “That’s hundreds of billions of dollars coming directly out of family budgets and the bottom lines of businesses across the country. I care about American consumers, about struggling family farms, and about airline employees about to loose their pensions, and I’m going to keep fighting to make price gouging a federal crime.” Before heading to the floor to offer her legislation, Cantwell announced the support of nine attorneys general for her bill. She now leads a coalition of 29 senators, eight governors and nine attorneys general in the fight to protect consumers from soaring gas prices as oil executives rake in record profits. Based on Cantwell’s measures to ban Enron-style manipulation schemes in the electricity industry, which became law as part of the recent energy bill, Cantwell’s legislation empowers federal regulators to ensure greater market transparency and go after companies for manipulation of oil and gas prices. It also gives the president the authority to declare national energy emergencies during which proven price gougers would be subject to new fines and criminal penalties. Senator Maria Cantwell has called on Congress to address record-high fuel costs and has continued to fight to ensure fairness for consumers in the energy industry. Yesterday in a letter to Chairman Ted Stevens of the Commerce Committee and Chairman Pete Domenici of the Energy Committee, Cantwell and other senators requested that hearings reconvene as soon as possible to take sworn testimony from oil CEOs about their roles in the Cheney energy task force and the recent run-up in American fuel prices. Cantwell also called on the Justice Department to investigate the alleged false statements.
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