OBSERVER Photo by Gregory Bacon Rep. Tom Reed held a press conference in Bemus Point Wednesday to discuss the high price of fuel. Pictured from left: County Legislator Elisabeth Warren (representing Assemblyman Andy Goodell), County Legislator Lisa Vanstrom (representing state Sen. George Borrello), Reed, County Executive PJ Wendel, Andrew Nixon with the county Visitors Bureau, Daniel Heitzenrater with the Chamber of Commerce, and Ellery Town Clerk Rebecca Haines.

BEMUS POINT — U.S. Rep. Tom Reed stood in front of Bridgeview One Stop. A gallon of regular unleaded gasoline was $4.35 a gallon. A gallon of extra unleaded was $4.60, while a gallon of supreme was $4.85 a gallon.

But as high as the prices were in Bemus Point on Wednesday, it paled in comparison when Reed was recently in Los Angeles, where gas prices at that time were $7 a gallon.

Reed wants to see President Joe Biden and his administration do all it can to lower gas prices for the American people.

“At $4.35 a gallon is really decimating people across Chautauqua County, across the 23rd Congressional District, and across the entire country,” he said.

Reed noted gas prices were much lower under the previous administration. “When you look back under President Trump. the average price was $2.38 a gallon,” he said.

Reed believes Biden has adopted bad energy policies that are forcing these higher prices. Some of those include cutting off U.S. domestic supplies, cutting off access to development of federal and public lands, and stopping the construction of the Keystone Pipeline and other pipeline infrastructure.

“Remember, oil is a world commodity,” he said. “When you take what was the world’s largest potential producer of oil and natural gas in a direction where you want to cut off that supply and that supply development, it sends a signal to the market. The market is responding with the gas prices and the utility costs.”

Reed believes the solution rests with the power of the U.S. energy market. “What you have to do is you have to send the signal to the market that U.S. energy is back and we are going to produce the oil and natural gas right here, under U.S. domestic sources,” he said.

Joining Reed in Bemus Point were County Executive PJ Wendel; County Legislator Elisabeth Rankin, a member of Assemblyman Andy Goodell’s staff; county Legislator Lisa Vanstrom, a member of state Sen. George Borrello’s staff; Legislature Chairman Pierre Chagnon; county Visitors Bureau Director Andrew Nixon; county Chamber President Daniel Heitzenrater; Ellery Town Clerk Rebecca Haines; Ellery Councilman John Cresanti; and Bemus Point Mayor Bryan Dahlberg.

Wendel noted that there’s a push in the country to use alternative energy.

“We want to go to green energy relatively faster than we wanted to take our masks off during COVID. It does not equate to success. It’s not going to happen that fast,” he said.

As a member of the County Executives Association, Wendel said they’ve talked about eliminating sales tax on fuel, but it’s impact would be minimal. “It’s not going to relieve the taxpayers who are making difficult decisions,” he said.

Heitzenrater noted that the high cost of fuel is hurting local businesses as well. He said all of the food or product they sell must be shipped to them and those shipping prices keep going up.

“Business owners are always very hesitant and it’s a challenge to raise their prices as they also know that’s an issue and an impact their friends and neighbors in the community feel,” he said.

Nixon said a $2 increase in a gallon of gasoline equates to about $1,200 per vehicle for 15,000 miles. “Maybe $2,400, $2,500 per family. The impact there on their disposable income is big,” he said.

He said when fuel prices go up, people are less willing to go on vacation.

The one silver lining for tourism is that during recessions, people will usually stay within two to four hours of their home, which can bring people from Canada, Ohio, Pittsburgh, Rochester and Syracuse to the local area. “We think that people in the regional area and the two to four hour driving radius will gravitate toward an area like this that has so much to offer,” he said.

Reed said the country cannot rely on wind and energy now. “This problem of fossil fuel and going to alternative renewables is a long-term solution that’s going to span decades,” he said. “We need to make sure we don’t do any harm in the meantime and we continue to work together for that vision and that strategy.”