Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Ross writes on energy crisis

Across the country and here in Arkansas, Americas working families are now experiencing the effects of our nations current energy crisis.

The ever rising cost of energy is affecting all segments of our economy and its impact is being felt across the nation.

I joined with my colleagues in the Arkansas House Delegation in calling for a Congressional investigation into the explanations and causes of excessive prices of diesel fuel.

It is imperative that Congress examine the impacts that these rapidly escalating prices are having on businesses, interstate commerce, the flow of goods throughout this country, and on our economy in general.

The recent spike in diesel fuel prices has inflicted tremendous economic hardship on working families.

In addition, the rapidly increasing price of diesel fuel has placed tremendous economic pressure on the trucking, freight, agriculture, and business community whose livelihood is vulnerable to the volatility of diesel prices.

The trucking industry employs four million people nationwide, including more than 84,000 in Arkansas alone, which have fallen victim to the exorbitant cost of diesel fuel and have already closed down, or dramatically scaled back their operations.

As businesses throughout this country are forced to absorb the cost of surging diesel prices, it can be expected that the burden will ultimately fall on consumers  who are already forced to deal with the rising costs of health care, groceries and high energy prices.

I will continue my work in Congress to address rising energy prices, because it is critical for us to investigate these trends which have a direct impact on American families, businesses, and our economy.