Representative Kim Schrier (D-WA) sponsored H.R. 7688, the Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act, which included important protections for families struggling with high gas and home heating fuel prices while Big Oil raked in sky-high profits on the back of Putin’s brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. This legislation would crack down on oil and gas companies’ price gouging by empowering the president to issue an emergency declaration that would make it illegal to charge excessive and exploitative prices for gasoline and home heating fuels. The bill would also empower the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to issue penalties to companies for price gouging, with enforcement priority placed on large oil companies with total sales in excess of $500 million per year. The bill further protects low-income families most impacted by Big Oil’s price gouging by allocating the fines collected to a Consumer Relief Trust Fund, which could be used to fund the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), which invest in making low-income homes more energy efficient. On May 19, the House approved H.R. 7688 by a vote of 217-207 (House roll call vote 232). YES IS THE PRO-ENVIRONMENT VOTE. The Senate took no action on this legislation in 2022.