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WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democrats chided congressional Republicans on Saturday for failing to do enough to stem high energy costs that have resulted in huge oil industry profits.
"What was the Republican answer to the hurricanes? More subsidies to the oil industry," Rep. John Dingell, D-Michigan, said in his party's weekly radio address.
Dingell said Democrats proposed a "tough anti-price-gouging law" and called for more federal money for research and development of renewable fuels and energy efficiency technologies to try to reduce the country's need for oil.
But, he said, the Republican majority in the House rejected the proposals and the Bush administration "has failed to create an energy policy for the future."
The House by a narrow vote recently approved legislation its GOP supporters say would provide incentives to build or expand refineries. They also have proposed opening coastal waters that now are off limits to drilling to energy development, especially natural gas.
Last week, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tennessee, also said Congress should look into whether to enact a federal energy price-gouging law. Democrats and a few Republicans have also said Congress should enact a windfall-profits tax on oil companies, but that idea has been sharply criticized by the Bush administration and GOP congressional leaders.
"What was the Republican answer to the hurricanes? More subsidies to the oil industry," Rep. John Dingell, D-Michigan, said in his party's weekly radio address.
Dingell said Democrats proposed a "tough anti-price-gouging law" and called for more federal money for research and development of renewable fuels and energy efficiency technologies to try to reduce the country's need for oil.
But, he said, the Republican majority in the House rejected the proposals and the Bush administration "has failed to create an energy policy for the future."
The House by a narrow vote recently approved legislation its GOP supporters say would provide incentives to build or expand refineries. They also have proposed opening coastal waters that now are off limits to drilling to energy development, especially natural gas.
Last week, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tennessee, also said Congress should look into whether to enact a federal energy price-gouging law. Democrats and a few Republicans have also said Congress should enact a windfall-profits tax on oil companies, but that idea has been sharply criticized by the Bush administration and GOP congressional leaders.
