WASHINGTON – Senator Frank H. Murkowski (R-AK), Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, today released the following statement regarding the need for the Senate and the House energy conferees to finish their work and produce an energy bill. “When the stock market falls 100, 150, or 200 points a day, companies are not thinking about “job creation” or “expansion.” They are thinking about their simple survival and the future. Often times, this means the working men and women of American get hurt. “It’s tough right now – but we can turn this around – and Congress must do what it can to put our economic engine back on the right tracks. We took an important step toward restoring consumer confidence Monday night by overwhelmingly approving accounting reform – the House did the same last evening. But we can do more, and we must do more. “The last three recessions have been proceeded by sharp rises in energy costs. Affordable, reliable energy provides the cornerstone of economic growth and job creation And only a comprehensive, national energy plan will help make the cornerstone strong. With an energy plan in place, American industry and American workers can be assured that at least another building block of our recovery is secure. “We’re more than 56% dependent on foreign oil. As we look around the world at our energy sources, we see more and more trouble. This past weekend we twice bombed Iraq while enforcing the no-fly zone. On Monday, more than 200 Nigerian women agreed to release more than 700 oil workers after a hostage stand-off that began last week. The siege hit Nigeria’s oil industry which is the 5th largest supplier of oil to the U.S. And in Indonesia, Exxon’s Aceh natural gas complex is in a virtual state of siege Surrounded by separatist rebels and hostile locals, legal and physical threats have forced workers to sleep in cargo containers just feet from their desks, threatening production. These are the parts of the world we rely on for energy. With a comprehensive energy plan in place, we can better secure our energy supply with American energy. “84% of Americans don’t want Congress to come home without an energy bill. Let’s not let them down.” ###