Al’s Three Point Plan to Lower Energy Costs
Posted in News Clips on July 28th, 2008
Today, Al held a press conference to outline a three point plan to address energy costs. You can read write-ups from MPR or the AP.
From the AP:
Democratic Senate candidate Al Franken called Monday for the release of 50 million barrels of oil from the nation’s strategic stockpile within 100 days, a move already under debate in Washington.
Appearing at a gas station, Franken said such an extraction from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve would increase supply and raise at least $5 billion for the federal government. He proposed using some of that money to beef up spending for programs that help people weatherize their homes.
…
Franken also hammered Republican Sen. Norm Coleman’s recent votes to sideline a bill that would outlaw oil futures speculation that some economists blame for rising energy prices.
The Senate Democrats’ bill stalled last week because they lacked sufficient votes to close off debate. The bill would require the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to set limits on trading in oil markets by investors and
speculators as well as closing other trading loopholes.“What he says here in Minnesota isn’t always what he does in Washington,” Franken said. “Norm Coleman could have used his vote to bring down gas prices for Minnesota families, but his vote belongs to George W. Bush and the special interests.”
Read the rest of the article.
