(Spirit Lake)– U-S Congressman Steve King paid a visit to Spirit Lake today (Friday).
The congressman toured the new Dickinson County Courthouse. He then spoke to a Senior Government class at Spirit Lake High School.
In an interview with KUOO news, King commented on high energy prices. He says congress needs to intervene in propping up the declining value of the dollar. King says roughly 1/3 of the value of the gas can be attributed to that. If it wasn’t the weak dollar, King says the price of gas would more like $2.20 instead of $3.50 a gallon.
Another factor, according to King, is the fact ethanol has actually been holding the cost of energy down. King says about nine billion gallons of the alternative fuel was injected into the market place in the past year. He says the downside of that is that livestock producers are paying a higher price of feed as a result.
King also took a jab at the Democrat majority leadership in Congress, blaming Nancy Pelosi for the problem. He says everything they brought to the floor affecting energy has taken energy off the market or diminished any increases in production.
Having said that, King said there is reason to be optimistic, pointing out recent oil finds in North Dakota, northern Alberta, off the coast of Brazil, the west coast of Africa, and the Gulf Coast.
