April 24, 2006
Governor Asks State Legislature to Join in the Effort
LANSING – In just 72 hours, some 40,000 citizens have lent their names to an online petition asking President Bush to support a cap on excessive oil company profits. In the face of possible record high prices for a gallon of gas, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm last week asked Michigan motorists to join her in supporting a LOWERGASPRICES online petition at www.michigan.gov/lowergasprices
“Clearly, Michigan drivers are fed up with the leadership in Washington failing to stop the tide of rising gas price,” Granholm said. “The overwhelming response in just a few short days to our online petition should be a clear signal to President Bush to exercise some leadership on this issue.”
Granholm also called on the Michigan Legislature to join her call for a cap on excessive oil company profits. In a letter to state lawmakers, she asked them to co-sponsor a resolution expected to be introduced in the Senate and House tomorrow, calling for federal action. The resolution will be sponsored by Senator Gretchen Whitmer (D-East Lansing) and Representative Marie Donigan (D-Royal Oak) in their respective chambers.
“Recently, regular unleaded gas prices have averaged just under $3 a gallon and have reached their highest level since just after Hurricane Katrina last summer,” Granholm wrote in the letter. “Meanwhile, the President’s response has been to push for a federal energy bill that created an additional $5 billion in tax breaks and government spending for oil companies … We need to demand real action from the President to provide real relief for Michigan’s citizens and businesses. Please join me in calling on Washington to act immediately.”
Granholm noted that oil prices have increased 240 percent since President Bush’s inauguration in January 2001, and the average price for unleaded gasoline is 64 cents higher than this time last year. Those increases have come shortly after Exxon Mobil is reporting a $36.1 billion profit, making it one of the most profitable corporations in the world – larger than the next four companies on the Forbes 500 list combined.
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