Markey Urges Obama To Tap Oil Reserves

Massachusetts Rep. Ed Markey is calling on President Obama to fight rising gasoline prices by releasing oil from the nation's strategic reserve.

Markey wants the United States to send a message to Lybia and Saudi Arabia.

"We have to tell them that we’re not going to allow them to play games with the global marketplace," he said.

The way to do that, Markey says, is to tap the nation’s emergency stores of oil, thereby lowering the price of gas in America short-term. Markey opposes increasing domestic supply by allowing drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He says that would take too long.

In Massachusetts, gas prices have spiked 16 cents per gallon over the past week, according to AAA Southern New England. The current average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas in the Bay State is $3.82.