Issues

Mississippians are feeling pain at the pump every day. And we need relief. But Washington has done nothing.

Roger Wicker has been in Washington for 14 years, gas prices have gone up and he's done nothing until now - right before the election. And the measures he is talking about won't end our dependence on foreign oil or lower gas prices in the short term.

Ronnie Musgrove has called for a comprehensive plan that will lower gas prices now and lead to energy independence. It includes increasing fuel efficiency standards for our vehicles and more drilling.

We can end our dependency on foreign oil:

• Increasing fuel efficiency standards on cars and trucks to save consumers thousands of dollars in fuel costs annually
• Expanding oil exploration and allowing drilling off the coast and in Alaska
• Holding the big oil companies that are making billions of dollars off our pain at the pump accountable
• Investing in alternative and renewable energy like solar, wind, coal and nuclear
• Increasing our clean refinement capacity and using cost effective technology to get more oil from old wells

We can lower gas prices right away:

• Releasing 50,000 barrels of oil a day from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to get more supply into the system today. President Bush should release 500 thousand barrels of oil a day for the next 100 days. Releasing oil from the reserves in the past has lowered prices up to 33%. And it has lowed prices quickly.
• Crack down on Wall Street Speculators who are driving up the price of a barrel of oil. Cracking down on speculators could lower the prices of gas by as much as a dollar per gallon.

Roger Wicker voted to block a bill that would have added staff to agency that polices speculators and close loop holes that allow for price manipulation.