St. Rep. Combs Urges Stronger Action to Combat Rising Gas Prices

Release:

Columbus – State Representative Courtney Combs (R- Hamilton) today strongly urged federal and state leaders to take action to combat the threat posed to the economy and every American, by rising gas prices. With the price of gas now reaching an average of $3.45 per gallon, according to auto club AAA, the health of the economy may be in danger if action is not taken.

“Gasoline prices affect everything in our society, and higher prices can be devastating in many different facets of our lives” Combs said. “Whether it is citizens who can’t fill up their gas tanks to get to work, food costs going up because of the higher costs of shipping, or government budgets getting slammed because of higher maintenance costs for vehicles like garbage trucks, every person in Ohio, and across the country, is bearing the brunt of these high gas prices.”

At the state level, Rep. Combs called on state leaders like Governor Kasich and Attorney General DeWine to quickly settle issues relating to the taxation and regulation of Ohio’s booming natural gas industry. The Utica shale deposits, covering much of eastern Ohio, are considered ‘wet’ formations, meaning they contain oil as well as natural gas. Increasing the number of wells in the Utica would increase the domestic supply of oil, which would ease tight supplies that are increasing prices.

At the national level, Rep. Combs called on United States Congressman Steve Chabot, Speaker of the US House John Boehner, and President Obama to quickly enact legislation that would take advantage of domestic oil deposits outside of Ohio, and to reconsider the Keystone XL Pipeline. With new technologies advancing every day, offshore oil, deposits in Alaska that were previously untouchable, and new shale oil deposits in North Dakota can all be accessed. However, many of these projects are being stifled by government regulations. For example, the Keystone XL pipeline would not only have brought Canadian oil to American refineries, but also helped move oil from the Bakken formation in the Dakotas to refineries in Louisiana. By taking aggressive actions such as these, state and national leaders can help consumers fight the burden of high gas prices, and keep America’s economy moving.