HAZLETON – On Monday, U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski touted a bill he readily admits will do nothing to reduce the price of gasoline for millions of Americans struggling to make ends meet.

According to the Times Leader newspaper in Wilkes-Barre, Kanjorski visited a gas station, where he made some startling admissions.
“The 12-term incumbent acknowledged his proposal and four similar ones in the House of Representatives don’t have a chance of becoming law,” the article states (http://www.timesleader.com).
The congressman was equally pessimistic with The Times-Tribune of Scranton.
“Does it have a chance to pass? No,” he told a Times-Tribune reporter (“Congressman admits it likely has no chance,” http://www.thetimes-tribune.com). 
“The fact is that Mr. Kanjorski unveiled a proposal that has been introduced by other congressmen, so it’s clear Monday’s announcement was nothing more than a desperate attempt to gain favor in an election year. It will, unfortunately, do nothing to help millions of Americans trying to make ends meet as the price of gasoline skyrockets,” said Barletta Campaign Manager Vince Galko. “His bill is just one of five that attempt to do the same thing, and he admits it won’t ever become law and provide relief. Monday’s event was insulting to consumers, pure and simple, and you will see the headlines that visit received in a Kanjorski commercial. If he believes gas companies are going to pay a profits tax and not pass it on to consumers, he’s incredibly out of touch with reality.
“What Mr. Kanjorski doesn’t want people to know is that, after a 24-year record of failed leadership, he is to blame for the rising cost of gasoline,” Galko continued.
Over the years, Kanjorski has a dismal record in protecting America’s gasoline supply. He voted to:

• Oppose a bill that focused on reducing demand for foreign fuel supplies and lowering gas prices through conservation, increased domestic production and processing, and research into alternative fuels, like clean coal technology (Vote 132, 4/21/05);
• Oppose legislation to expand domestic oil capacity by easing the building and expansion of refineries (Vote 228, 6/7/06; Vote 519, 10/7/05; Vote 246, 6/16/04);
• Oppose adding $30 million in funding for renewable energy programs (Vote 321, 6/25/04).

In fact, despite his claims of seniority, Kanjorski’s newly introduced bill has zero cosponsors in the U.S. House (http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-5800). He also introduced a similar bill in 2005 – a bill that drew only one cosponsor and died for lack of action (http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h109-3664). Kanjorski’s 2005 bill was one of about a dozen bills introduced in Congress that year with the same goal.
Additionally, in 2006, Paul Kanjorski and other high-ranking members of his party said they had a “commonsense plan” to reduce the price of gas.
“That was more than two years ago, so we have to ask, ‘Where is the plan, Mr. Kanjorski?’” Galko said. “Americans need real relief, not election-year stunts. For 24 years, Mr. Kanjorski did nothing about the rising price of gasoline and America’s dependence on foreign oil. Now, six months before he’s about to lose an election, he unveils a bill that he admits will not provide real relief. Fortunately, the people of the 11th Congressional District are smart enough to see through his scheme.”

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