The Columbian – U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell on Wednesday brought together a few people to talk about the impact of rising gas prices. They met at the Shell station on Vancouver Mall Drive, where the price of a gallon of regular was $3.899 â for the moment.
Todd Shaw, general manager of Vancouver Oil Co., said the wild fluctuations heâs seen over the past couple of weeks mean his 3,000 customers âdonât have any idea what the price is going to be or how to budget for itâ from day to day.
Mike Leboki, co-owner of Taylor Transport Inc., has been struggling the past 2½ years just to stay in business, meanwhile cutting his work force from 125 to 60 employees. âWe finally got things rolling againâ as the construction business began to pick up recently, he said. âBut in February, gas was up 75 cents a gallon and all our profits went right into the tank.â His 50 dump trucks burn 2,500 to 3,000 gallons of gasoline a day.
As one of the most beautiful states in the unionâand one of the richest in natural resourcesâWashington has a special interest in energy and environmental policy. And Maria has fought hard to uphold the stateâs conservation tradition, while also working to bring our energy policy into the 21st century.
Maria knows Washingtonâs business community â because, as an executive at an innovative software company, she was part of it. And as a Senator, sheâs led the way in helping businesses large and small throughout Washington grow, thrive, and create jobs.
Maria has taken a leadership role on safety and security issues, including defending our borders, strengthening our military, cracking down on gangs, and taking on drug crime in Washington communities
Middle-class families around Washington and across the country are facing tough timesâand tough decisions about balancing the family checkbook each month. Maria has fought to strengthen the economic security of Washington families and cut taxes for middle-class families.
