Gasoline and politics are a combination that worked Thursday morning in Mobile!

U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions pumped gas for drivers at Griffith's Shell Station on Government Street. No, he didn't pay the bill but took out time to talk with drivers about their concerns. He says his office crunched the numbers and found that two car households pay $105 dollars a month more (due to gasoline) than this time last year.

"They pay their house payment, taxes, insurance and there's not that much afterwards to take care of your family needs and have another 100 dollar tax with 60 percent going to foreign countries not even staying at home is hurting the economy as well as the family budget." Sessions also used the gas station as a platform to talk about what's working and what needs to be done. "The president's action to open up more oil reserves seems to have an impact probably. Even more important was that the American people are looking for ways to conserve. Alabama is going to be a leader in converting wood to gasoline and diesel. Every bit of alternative fuel that we produce here such as gasoline or diesel or ethanol reduces our dependence on foreign oil and creates jobs in America." Sessions says he doesn't like to waste money on cars and gasoline. He drives a Ford Taurus at home and a Toyota Camry when he's working in Washington D.C.

Alabama Senator Vivian Davis Figures is running against Sessions in November. Below is her statement on the gas price issue.

State Senator Vivian Davis Figures (D-Mobile) is appalled at the increase in gas prices. “The United States is at the mercy of the market”, says Figures, “the market my opponent and the Bush administration focused its energy policies on, providing oil companies with record profits and tax breaks.” Figures, democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, is proposing conservation among the people of Alabama, as well as investing in innovative ways to counteract the oil and energy issues the Bush administration has continuously ignored. “They have failed to devote resources to developing viable alternative and renewable energy sources that can meet a significant share of the energy demand.” “We must provide real incentives to support realization of levels of energy efficiency this nation is capable of achieving. It is imperative we support increased energy efficiency to ensure that every gallon and every kilowatt are stretched as far as possible. It is unconscionable that we live in a society where families struggle to put food on their table because they have to purchase $4/gallon gas, while my opponent allows oil companies to celebrate record profits and huge tax breaks. It is high time for Alabamians to get the break they so desperately need and deserve.”.