CONTACT:BILL HOLBROOK (202) 224-6176 October 26, 2005 INHOFE DISMISSES MINORITY’S EFFORT TO SOCIALIZE GAS PRODUCTION “…[E]ssentially a Clinton Health Care prescription to control gas prices with the EPA in charge.” WASHINGTON, DC - Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Chairman of the Environment & Public Works (EPW) Committee, today dismissed an attempt by Democrat members of the Committee to socialize petroleum refining in the United States, voting with nine other Committee members to reject a substitute amendment offered by Ranking Member Jeffords that would have placed the Environmental Protection Agency in charge of designing, building and operating refineries at taxpayer expense. “What the minority proposed today as a ‘solution’ to expanding refinery capacity amounts to socializing gas production in this country, essentially a Clinton Health Care prescription to control gas prices with the EPA in charge,” Senator Inhofe said. “I have said all along that opponents to sensible legislation that will expand refinery capacity and help lower gas prices only seek to politicize the issue for points leading into the next election cycle. We offered a solution to help alleviate the pain in the pocket book for all Americans, and the best solution our colleagues on the other side could offer in return was changing the name of the EPA to the ‘Environmental Petroleum Agency’ and anointing Administrator Johnson the next ‘Big Oil’ magnate. The last thing the American consumer needs is socialized gas production.” The Committee rejected the Jeffords substitute amendment on a straight majority/minority line vote of 10-8.