U.S. Senator Roger Wicker continued his call for national leaders to address issues to lower gas prices during a visit to Jones County Wednesday.
At a press conference at a local oil field, Wicker said there’s a need for Congress to act now to lower gas prices.
Braving the high temperatures Wednesday afternoon, Wicker visited with oil company representatives gathered at the Jack Hosey Well in the Reddy Creek oil field.
Kerry Allen with Denbury Resources and Jay Fenton with Ventura Oil and Gas said the oil and gas industries in Jones County provide approximately 2,000 jobs and is a boost to the local economy.
Also Wednesday, Wicker expressed his frustration over the Senate adjourning without providing relief to the American people.
The senator reiterated his support for the Gas Price Reduction Act, which he says, “would open more sources of oil here in the United States.”
Wicker and Senator Thad Cochran helped introduce the Gas Price Reduction Act in June.
“The people of Mississippi and the United States are demanding action from Congress,” Wicker said. “The Gas Price Reduction Act will reduce prices at the pump and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.”
Allen said the bill “would no doubt lessen the U.S.’s dependency on oil import and create better national security.
“Since 1972, the U.S. dependency on imported oil has continued to increase,” Allen added. “We now import 60 percent of the crude oil we use.”
Fenton said now is a good time for the country to start reducing it’s dependency on foreign oil.
“Now is as good of a time as any to start,” Fenton said. “We’ve got to start at some time.”
Wicker said the Gas Price Reduction Act will mean that “Americans will have a lot more crude oil at its disposal. As a result, the price of crude oil will come down and the price of gasoline will be lowered.”
The senator said there is a worldwide demand for crude oil.
“We have a demand worldwide and we need to participate in the supply of crude oil,” Wicker said. “We need to be a part of the solution for those in America.”
Wicker said the increase in drilling in America would have a major impact on the economy.
“It would create jobs here in America,” he said. “This well (the Jack Hosey Well) creates jobs in the Pine Belt Region. ...Therefore, drilling in America is a way to keep our money at home. ... We need to stop sending our jobs and money overseas and lower the price of gasoline here in America.”
Wicker said the Gas Price Reduction Act “addresses coastal drilling and oil shale development, encourages development of alternative energy sources and cracks down on speculators.”
Wicker said the Gas Price Reduction Act addresses four major issues: deep sea exploration in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS); Western State Oil Shale exploration; Plug-in electric cars and trucks; and Strengthening U.S. futures markets.
Wicker will face Ronnie Musgrove in the Nov. 4 election to fill the seat vacated by Trent Lott.
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