Strickland joins governors' plea for gas price relief

Gov. Ted Strickland joined Democratic governors from 16 states in a letter sent Tuesday to President Bush urging him to help relieve escalating gas prices.

“We are calling on the president to stand up for consumers and help alleviate the heavy burdens facing Americans at the pump,” Strickland said. “I join my fellow governors in urging the president to act on our concerns and begin working with Congress and pressing oil companies to find a long-term solution to this issue.”

The governors’ letter comes as gas prices in Ohio and across the nation reach record highs.

In the letter, the 17 governors called on Bush to work with Congress to relieve gas prices by supporting federal legislation that penalizes gas price gouging and ordering the administration’s agencies to pursue anti-trust and commodities violations.

The governors urged the president to press oil companies to invest their profits to improve refinery capacity.

Nobody suggested eliminating taxes on gas, however.

In addition to Strickland, the 16 governors who signed the letter are Govs. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas, Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, Jon Corzine of New Jersey, Jennifer Granholm of Michigan, Edward Rendell of Pennsylvania, Bill Richardson of New Mexico, Mike Beebe of Arkansas, Janet Napolitano of Arizona, Ruth Ann Minner of Delaware, Rod Blagojevich of Illinois, Chet Culver of Iowa, Kathleen Blanco of Louisiana, Deval Patrick of Massachusetts, Ted Kulongoski of Oregon, Phil Bredesen of Tennessee and Jim Doyle of Wisconsin.

"Here in Ohio I am committed to making Ohio the epicenter of alternative and advanced energy production, innovation and research," Strickland said. "The more energy we produce right here at home, the less dependent we will be on foreign oil and the more likely our energy prices are to remain stable and balanced."