Energy Secretary Steven Chu told congressmen this week that lowering gasoline prices is not a goal of the Obama administration.
During Tuesday congressional hearings, Rep. Alan Nunnelee (R-MS) asked Chu, “is the overall goal to get our price” of gasoline down.
Responded Chu, “No, the overall goal is to decrease our dependency on oil, to build and strengthen our economy. We think that if you consider all these energy policies, including energy efficiency, we think that we can go a long way to becoming less dependent on oil and [diversifying] our supply and we’ll help the American economy and the American consumers.”
Chu’s comments confirm what he said in 2008, that the Obama administration is pursuing higher rather than lower gasoline prices. Said Chu in 2008, “somehow we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe,” which are approximately $8 a gallon.
