Nevada Rep. Joe Heck held a Tele-Town Hall meeting this past Monday where he knowingly mislead callers on why gas prices are high.
The first caller, Mr. Lamb, asked “how are our gas prices being manipulated like this by the gas companies and getting away with it?“ Mr. Lamb’s concerns focused on oil coming from the West coast and Alaska, his point was that since the oil was domestic and not imported, pump prices should be lower on the West coast.
Rep. Heck told him the reason why prices are high is because most of the oil produced in the United States as well as in Canada (where we get 1/3 of our oil), is sold out onto the global market, or directly, at global market prices, which is true. Just as most oil producing Nations currently do. The cost of a barrel of oil from Saudi Arabia and the cost of a barrel of oil from Alaska can fetch the same price on the global market. And those prices are inflated by oil speculators here in the United States and around the world.
Rep. Joe Heck misled folks who participated in the Tele-Town hall by speaking about his voting record and how those votes would lower pump prices.
Heck said, “over the last several weeks I voted on three different Bills that would start utilizing more domestic oil”.
Heck said he voted to “end the moratorium for drilling in the Gulf of Mexico“, voted to “open up additional leases for drilling” and voted to “move forward on leases already owned”.
But what Heck failed to say about his voting record:
Heck voted against stopping oil commodity spectators who inflate the cost of a barrel of oil by almost 50 percent.
Heck voted against an amendment that would require oil that is drilled from US lands and waters to stay in the United States for US consumers instead of it being sold onto the global market as it currently is.
And Heck voted to continue giving away billions of tax dollars to subsidize the Oil industry that is currently the most profitable industry on Earth.
The CEO’s of Americas top five oil corporations recently testified before congress and said that without the oil commodity spectators the actual cost of a barrel of oil would be around $60.00 not the current $100.00 plus, per barrel.
The CEO’s were testifying before congress because they did not want to lose the billions in tax payer subsidies that they’re currently receiving, even though they make more money than any other industry on the planet. Last year American owned oil corporations made $125 billion, yet they are not willing to give up their subsidies, in fact the CEO of Conoco-Phillips said it was “un-American” to end the subsidies.
In summary, Rep. Joe Heck voted to continue giving away billions of tax payer dollars to the most profitable industry on Earth. He voted to continue allowing oil speculators to drive up the cost of a barrel of oil, and he voted to continue allowing domestic oil sold onto the global market at inflated prices which means that no matter how much we increase domestic production, pump prices would not drop. All of his votes have helped to drive up the cost for consumers when they fill up at the gas stations.
And on a side-note, former Rep. Dean Heller who is now a US Senator finishing out the term of John Ensign who resigned, also voted the same as Rep. Joe Heck.