August 3, 2006

BISCOE, NC – Today, Larry Kissell, Democratic nominee for Congress in North Carolina's 8th District, pumped $1.22 per gallon gas for local residents from noon until after 2:00 p.m. at Benjy Dunn's Filling Station in downtown Biscoe.

"I wanted to do this event today to highlight a few things. First, gas prices are ridiculous. Second, Washington politicians like Robin Hayes are voting to give corporate welfare to big oil companies. Three, we desperately need to inject competition in the US gas market that will reduce America's dependency on foreign oil. We can do that by producing and selling ethanol and bio-diesel right here in North Carolina," said Kissell.

"When Robin Hayes went to Congress, gas prices were $1.22 a gallon. Since then he's voted against congressional inquiries for price gouging at the pump while he's voted to give away billions in corporate welfare for gas companies. Robin Hayes has helped create the high cost of gas in North Carolina, and I'm going to be a part of the solution to lowering gas costs in North Carolina."

This morning gas prices were $2.89 per gallon for regular unleaded gas at Dunn's Filling Station. The difference in the cost was paid by Kissell's campaign.

"I made the decision to keep pumping gas for the folks who showed up. Sure we had to turn some people away. But for those who waited in line patiently, I wanted to make sure they could take advantage of this unique opportunity. Today's gas bill was higher than we expected, but it was worth every penny to help a lot of people who are struggling to get by in our area. Today is what campaigns should be about," concluded Kissell.