BREWER – Union members lamented the skyrocketing price of gasoline and oil on Tuesday and called for national policy changes and an investment in alternative energy sources to reverse the trend.

High gasoline prices “are choking off the American dream for a lot of people,” Dan Lawson, vice president of the United Steel Workers Local 261 in Bucksport, said at a press conference held by the Eastern Maine Labor Council. “People can’t afford to go to work. It seems to me we’re going backwards. Our wages aren’t keeping up with increased costs. Oil is such a big part of our lives. It affects every aspect of our lives.”

Labor council President Jack McKay said rising oil prices are related to government policies.

“Government policies matter,” he said. “What happens in Washington, D.C., translates to things that matter for working families. The average worker in this area travels 22 miles to work, so the first hour of work each day just pays for gas.”

McKay said the average price for a gallon of gas has risen from $1.47 to more than $4 since 2001.

The high price of gas can also affect a person’s ability to find a job, another speaker noted.

“With gas prices as high as they are – and my commute [to Bangor] is 18-20 miles – I’m trying to find a job and having a hard time buying gas,” said Juanita Prescott of Newburgh. “I’m hoping they’ll drop prices a little bit.”

High oil prices also are affecting Maine’s paper industry, said Stu Kallgren, a shop steward at the Katahdin Paper mill in Millinocket, where 200 jobs may be lost if the plant shuts down as scheduled on July 28.

“Oil prices are putting paper companies, and a lot of other companies in this state, out of business,” Kallgren said. “We used 400,000 barrels of oil last year. The problem is you can’t depend on stable oil prices. We need a more stable environment. We need to wean ourselves off dependence on oil for energy and production. Everyone needs to pull together.”

Kallgren, Lawson and McKay all called for a new emphasis on alternative energy options, including hydroelectric power, geothermal, and solar and wind power.

“It’s time to turn America around, and the time is now to invest in energy independence,” Lawson said. “We need a real path to energy independence. We have to invest in alternative energy and get fuel prices under control. Nothing should be overlooked if it can help the consumer.”

McKay also called for an end to tax breaks for the big oil companies.

“We think they’re doing very well and don’t need tax breaks,” he said. “We need tax breaks. Giving [oil companies] everything they want is not smart government policy. That industry is doing very well. It may be good for them, but not the rest of the country.”