Rehberg (MT00) - Press Release - Rehberg Assails High Fuel Prices in the Wake of Katrina -- Increase in U.S. oil refining capacity needed to reduce prices at the pump

Congressman Denny Rehberg, 516 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515

N E W S


	September 7, 2005

Rehberg Assails High Fuel Prices in the Wake of Katrina
Increase in U.S. oil refining capacity needed to reduce prices at the pump

WASHINGTON, DC - Pointing to dramatically-reduced oil refining capacity in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today said Congress needs to “revisit and tweak” the recently-approved energy bill.

“The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina has demonstrated that it’s not a lack of oil supply, but of refining capacity that has driven up the cost of gasoline in Montana and the rest of the country,” Rehberg, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, said. “The state of Louisiana, with a regulatory structure far less restrictive than other states, has been home to more refining capacity than any other state in the country. Last week’s hurricane knocked a number of refineries out of commission, putting the squeeze on the country’s already-tight refining capacity, and sending fuel prices into the stratosphere.”

“Two months ago, the president signed into law a forward-thinking energy bill that over the long term will allow us move away from foreign dependence and help us invent our way into the next generation of energy production. But more needs to be done in the short run,” Rehberg said. “I think we’ll need to revisit and tweak the energy bill in the coming months if we’re to help the nation address this crimp on capacity and provide an answer to why no new refineries have been built in this country in more than two decades.”

###

Press Release List