(Radio Iowa) – The cost to fill our gas tanks and heat our homes is rising and Iowa Congressman Randy Feenstra says he’s worried about bounding energy prices, especially gasoline, as we head toward the holidays. “This is really significant,” Feenstra says. “We just saw the price of crude oil go up to $85 a barrel so it’s not looking good anytime soon. They’re talking maybe by Christmas having $4.50 gas and this is a real concern.” Feenstra, a Republican from Hull, says the rising price of natural gas is also worrisome.

“I’m on MidAmerican and they sent me a letter saying natural gas is going up 46-98% this winter and we should be prepared for those bills,” Feenstra says. “This is not good for the family and the small business owner and things like that. These are direct costs that come out of our regular paycheck.” Feenstra echoes Senator Chuck Grassley’s comments to Radio Iowa on Tuesday, blaming the Biden administration’s actions for the situation.

“We have the capability of being energy independent. We did that under Trump,” Feenstra says. “When you cut off the XL pipeline and you keep shooting yourselves in the foot when it comes to all the things they want done, that’s what creates all these increased prices.”

Triple-A-Iowa says the average price for gas in the state today is $3.16 a gallon, up from $2.02 a year ago. The current national average is $3.39.