U.S. Rep.

Phil English, R-3rd, on Wednesday hailed the Bush administration's decision to release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to offset production cuts caused by Hurricane Katrina.English further called upon the House Ways and Means Committee to consider legislation to ease the burden felt by U.S. refineries damaged in the Gulf Coast and encourage oil production this fall."Without a careful and coordinated response, the damage caused by Katrina could create an even greater surge in oil costs," said English, a member of the Ways and Means Committee.The decision to release oil from the nation's reserves was approved after Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, crippling refineries in Louisiana and Mississippi and forcing wholesalers to ration fuel supplies."In the wake of this national disaster, Congress must now act to secure our oil and gas resources right here at home. We must quickly assess the recent damage to our oil producers and take the necessary steps to ensure our American consumers will have access to affordable gas through the winter," English said.State Sen.

Jane Orie, R-40th, is sponsoring a major Medicaid reform measure aimed at controlling skyrocketing costs and ensuring that benefits are effectively managed.Orie, who chairs the state Senate Aging and Youth Committee, said the measure is crucial to holding down increasingly high costs that are straining state budgets.Orie's legislation is similar to a measure passed by Florida and introduced in South Carolina, Colorado, and Georgia. It would restructure the way Pennsylvania provides Medicaid benefits.Under the current system, costs are high because any person who is eligible for Medicaid is automatically entitled to full benefits. Orie's legislation would establish a pilot program using a "defined contribution" structure.Under this, the state would provide a certain contribution of money through which a Medicaid beneficiary could buy a plan for the benefits that he or she needs. The bill would provide for beneficiaries to buy portable insurance.The program also provides for federal financial participation through a tax credit that can be used to pay for catastrophic acute and long-term care policies.State Rep.

Frank LaGrotta, D-10th, has written letters to Gov. Ed Rendell and Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen McGinty urging Pennsylvania to take part in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.LaGrotta said the initiative is a cooperative effort among nine Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.Those states are working together to adopt similar laws and regulations designed to limit carbon dioxide emissions to 150 million tons per year, as well as establish timelines to lower the cap later."The state has already made tremendous progress in encouraging clean and renewable energy sources, and I applaud Secretary McGinty and Gov. Rendell for their vision in implementing initiatives that have already made Pennsylvania a leader in securing clean energy," LaGrotta said."But as the saying goes, there's strength in numbers, and I think that by joining RGGI or implementing something similar, we can make changes that will have an immediate impact not only in our state but in our entire region."The term greenhouse gas refers to a number of gases that are naturally present in the atmosphere but whose quantities are increased due to human activity or generated by industrial processes.Information about the RGGI is available online at www.rggi.org. Information about global warming and climate change is available at www.epa.gov/globalwarming.Fearing a potential bird flu pandemic,

English last week announced his resolution that urges China to abide by the World Health Organization standards and put an end to the use of antiviral medication to protect their livestock.The resolution would also put the House of Representatives on the record condemning China for its irresponsible decision to hide pathogenic outbreaks, such as the avian flu, and endangering the health of the global community."The most cost-effective antiviral used to combat bird flu has been rendered useless because the Chinese government chose to violate international health guidelines and put profit over people," English said."Now, we are being faced with an international health crisis, putting the lives of hundreds of millions of people at great risk if they are exposed to the highly lethal avian influenza."The People's Republic of China violated international guidelines of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization by allowing its farmers to inoculate chickens with the human vaccine, amantadine, English noted.As a result, H5N1, he said, the often-fatal strain of bird flu that is uncontrolled in East Asia, is resistant to amantadine, leaving the human population without a cost-effective vaccine for immunity.Amantadine is an anti-flu drug for humans and available by prescription in the U.S. In China however, the vaccine is readily available at a low cost.