Chris Van Hollen Agrees With Bush: Let's Burn More Oil!

Silver Spring, Maryland (July 16th, 2008) - Following is 8th District congressional candidate Gordon Clark’s response to proposals to increase domestic oil drilling:

"In 2006, President Bush observed that our nation is ‘addicted to oil.’ Now, in 2008, my opponent Rep. Van Hollen is arguing with the president about where we should get our next fix.

"After Mr. Bush’s radio address this past Saturday, in which he urged opening our nation’s coastlines to oil drilling as a solution to high gas prices, Rep. Van Hollen responded by saying ‘Now let me be clear: Democrats support more drilling.’ The only difference between Mr. Bush and Rep. Van Hollen, apparently, is whether that drilling happens off our coasts, or in between them.

"Both Rep. Van Hollen and President Bush are being disingenuous when they suggest that more domestic oil drilling will do anything to reduce current high gas prices, regardless of where that drilling happens. It would take years before such oil reaches the market, and even then it will do nothing more than replace declining production of other domestic oil sources. Such proposals may further enrich oil companies, but they will do nothing to help struggling Americans now.

"And it is outrageous that anyone who claims to be deeply concerned about global warming, as Rep. Van Hollen does, is simultaneously promoting the extraction and burning of more oil.

"Our current problems stem from the lack of any coherent national energy policy. There is no quick fix for the current price of gas, but there are three things that can be done to immediately stabilize the price and move us forcefully in a new direction.

"First, our federal government needs to invest heavily in mass transit and in gas-free, non-polluting electric cars. Other nations have such alternatives, why don’t we?

"Second, we must stop threatening to start a war against Iran. Such instability in the Middle East is a primary cause of oil speculation, which directly raises prices at the pump. Regrettably, Rep. Van Hollen helped raise gas prices last month when he co-sponsored the reactionary House Concurrent Resolution 362, which urges the President to establish a blockade of Iran.

"Third, we need a national energy policy that moves us quickly and decisively from a fossil fuel economy to a renewable energy economy. Once again, why are other nations doing this, while our government is not?

"The last thing we need now is a debate between the President and Congress about where to do more oil drilling. If you agree with me about the path out of our current energy crisis, and want to help change the climate in Congress, please visit our campaign at clarkforcongress.net"

Gordon Clark, the Green Party candidate for U. S. Congress from Maryland’s 8th District, has for over twenty years been a community activist in the peace, environmental, nonviolence, and social justice arenas. He is a former National Executive Director of Peace Action, the founder of Iraq Pledge of Resistance (now the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance), and a former Field Director for Public Citizen's Congress Watch.

For more information on the Clark for Congress campaign, call (301) 589-2355, email info@clarkforcongress.net, or visit www.clarkforcongress.net and www.myspace.com/clarkforcongress.

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