Mr. President. Yesterday crude oil closed at $39.57 on the New York exchange. Nationwide, the average price of gasoline is $1.84 and expected to rise 5-10 cents over the next several days and even more as we enter the Summer driving season which begins with the Memorial Day holiday. Natural gas prices are also a record for this time of year; 70 percent higher than they were a year ago, and we are increasingly dependent on imported supplies to set prices. We currently import 55 percent of our oil and will depend on imports for 75 percent of our demand by 2025. Coal prices are up 32 percent since last year. Meanwhile, we are experiencing record temperatures in Southern California and are already straining the region’s electricity generation system. Mr. President. I do not know what sort of psychological barrier needs to be broken for the Senate to finally pass comprehensive energy legislation. We are very close to breaking through every psychological barrier related to energy policy: 1. Oil will soon cross the $40/ barrel mark; 2. Gasoline will be over $2.00/gallon; 3. Natural gas will be permanently over $5/MCF, and; 4. The adequacy of our electricity grid this Summer is now a simple logic – will it be hotter than usual; because, if so, we will have blackouts. For my part, I am alarmed. I see us becoming 75 percent dependent on imported oil. I read of terrorist threats against overseas oil infrastructure and refining capacity, and I am amazed that I have colleagues who want to stop filling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve or, tap into it. Yesterday, a number of Senators came to the floor and called on the President to pressure OPEC to increase production and reduce prices. Does anybody assume he hasn’t already done that? It would be terrific if OPEC would do just that. But I have to ask my colleagues – why would OPEC take us seriously? OPEC sees us for what we are. We are hooked and we cannot take even the most incremental steps to begin to address our plight. OPEC sees a Congress that has talked about passing an energy bill for 10 years. They see a Congress that has failed every year for the last three years to pass an energy bill. OPEC sees an America that lacks the political will to address its own energy crisis. Instead, we blame and complain. If you were OPEC, would you take us seriously? Some say passing the energy bill won’t do a lot for foreign crude oil prices. I disagree. I think passing the first comprehensive energy bill to come out of this Congress in 12 years sends a strong signal to oil producing nations. I think if we do more to conserve energy, increase production and diversify our energy supply, we tell OPEC that America is a country with the unity, commitment and political will to address our own energy challenges. If Senate Democrats mean what they say when they wring their hands and lament rising oil prices, pass this bill. When we voted last week on the authorizing portion of the bill, we got only 14 Democrats to join us. That’s less than a third. Yet, the steady stream of Senators who come down here to speech-ify on energy are Democrats. Some of the Democrats down here on the floor yesterday wringing their hands about gasoline prices and blaming the Administration yesterday are the same Senators who voted against the energy bill last week. Last summer, we had the biggest blackout in this nation’s history during the August recess. When Congress returned, Senators went to the floor to make speeches and wring their hands about problems in our power grid. Some of those same senators turned around a few weeks later and voted against an energy bill that mandated electricity reliability. Gasoline prices shattered all records in April. Prices could reach $3 a gallon by late summer. Natural gas prices are up an average of 70 percent over last year. Wholesale coal prices rose more than 30 percent this year. Our electricity grid is every bit as vulnerable to a black out today as it was last summer. And we stand here making speeches and passing the blame. Blame OPEC? Blame the President? Ladies and gentlemen, the buck stops here. It’s up to this Congress to pass a bill that stabilizes oil, gas, coal and natural gas prices. It’s up to this Congress to pass a bill that increases our production of natural gas, wind, solar, geothermal and clean coal. It’s up to this Congress to mandate electricity reliability. Let’s stop politicking energy. Let’s stop looking to foreign shores to solve our problems. Let’s stop expecting OPEC to have the will, the unity and the resolve that we lack. Let’s roll up our sleeves and pass this bill.