RELEASE
March 27, 2006

Kucinich and Chandra Champion Greater Oversight of Natural Gas Trading Markets;
Kucinich endorses Chandra's AG candidacy

Cleveland, Ohio - Congressman Dennis Kucinich and Democratic Attorney General Candidate Subodh Chandra called for greater federal oversight of natural gas trading markets at a press conference in Cleveland this afternoon. Kucinich said that Chandra would be the "People's Attorney General" and both pledged to work together on state and federal projects that affect the people of Ohio.

Kucinich and Chandra pointed to a study conducted by four mid-western state attorneys general, which stated that lack of federal oversight of the trading industry for natural gas commodities was partly to blame for record price spikes. The findings refute the commonly held perception that irregularities of supply and demand create these drastic surges in price.

Congressman Kucinich explained that the unnatural price increases are caused by limited oversight in the financial sector: "Thanks to a lack of transparency and the federal government's abdication of its regulatory responsibilities, the natural gas market is subject to market manipulation that forces consumers to pay unjustifiably high prices and, for some, places them in the impossible position of choosing between heating their homes and feeding their families."

Kucinich and Chandra also pointed to this report as a primary example of how state and federal issues are being addressed by active attorneys general throughout the country. Chandra noted that "this report is one of many examples of how attorneys general are working to protect their clients." Unfortunately, he added, Ohio's attorneys general have been "asleep at the switch in protecting their clients - the people of Ohio - for far too long."

Chandra cited several examples of state attorneys general are working beyond their state's borders to solve problems. He pointed to Connecticut Attorney General Dick Blumenthal's suit against the federal government charging that the No Child Left Behind Act is an unfunded mandate. And the commitment of nine attorneys general to support The Energy Emergency Consumer Protection Act, which is a federal anti-price gouging statute. In both cases and many others where Ohio's interests were at stake, Chandra added, "Ohio's AG's were not interested."

Kucinich agreed and added that "the job of the AG is to use the law to protect and defend the interests of all Ohioans - the people of Ohio are the attorney general's clients and when they vote for AG, they are, in effect, clients hiring an attorney to represent their interests." He went on to state that "Ohio needs an attorney general who will once again put the interests of his real clients first and who has the proven track record to do the job from day one."

Chandra thanked Kucinich for his leadership and his life of public service. He also expressed appreciation to Kucinich for "recognizing how the role of the attorney general has changed over the years from one that not only defends its citizens, but seeks solutions to problems."

Chandra committed to help push for greater oversight of the natural gas trading market if elected as Ohio Attorney General. He noted that he would participate with other state AG's in projects such as this that seek to defend the interest of all Ohioans.

Kucinich pledged to work with his colleagues in Washington to address this and implement the solutions outlined by state attorneys general Tom Miller of Iowa, Lisa Madigan of Illinois, Jay Nixon of Missouri, and Peg Lautenschlager of Wisconsin.

Click here to view the full report: The Role of Supply, Demand, and Financial Commodity Markets in the Natural Gas Price Spiral

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Contact: Keary McCarthy
614-425-9163
keary_m@yahoo.com