Yesterday, Bill Klesse, President & CEO of Valero Energy Corp., testified before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on the Democrats’ job-killing National Energy Tax legislation. He stated that the bill could add 77 cents to each gallon of gasoline. That’s about 30% above today’s prices! This increase will affect every American household across the country.

When our nation is in the middle of a serious recession, Americans can’t afford to pay more at the pump. Especially the almost 10% of Americans who don’t have a job.

Instead of providing “energy security,” the Democrats’ National Energy Tax bill would increase energy costs here at home and make us more dependent on foreign sources of energy. This, on top of yesterday’s news of America’s declining support for a National Energy Tax, is just one more example that Democrats are out of touch with the American people.

What America needs is a bill like the Republican American Energy Act that develops all-of-the-above American energy, not one that makes energy more expensive. Our bill will help our economy and our environment.