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Gas prices reached record highs in Wichita Wednesday with this station at Seneca & McLean charging $3.55.
As prices rise, politicians do lots of finger-pointing
BY ROB HOTAKAINEN
Eagle Washington bureau
- Find the lowest gas prices in the Wichita area and across Kansas
- Drivers in Kansas and nationwide keep feeling bite of rising gas prices
Gas and your vacation
With summer fast approaching, we want to know if the soaring gas rates have caused you to rethink your plans for vacation. Let us know whether you plan to vacation close to home or far away, and why. You can call Beccy Tanner at 316-268-6336 or e-mail your responses to btanner@wichitaeagle.com.
Improve your mileage
Drive efficiently
• Stick to the speed limit. Gas mileage decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph.
• Avoid idling. It wastes fuel and adds to pollution. Turn off the engine if you expect a wait.
• Use cruise control when you can. It improves fuel economy on the highway.
• Remove excess weight. An extra 100 pounds in the trunk can reduce a typical car's fuel economy by up to 2 percent.
Maintain your car
• Tune your engine according to the owner's manual. It can increase mileage by an average of 4 percent.
• Keep your tires inflated and aligned. It can increase gas mileage up to 3 percent.
• Change your oil. You can improve mileage by using the recommended grade of motor oil. Oil that says "energy conserving" on the label contains additives that can improve fuel economy.
Fill up wisely
• Use the recommended octane level. For most cars, that's regular, but check your manual. In most cases, higher octane gas offers no benefit.
• Be wary of "gas-saving" products. The EPA has tested more than 100 supposed gas-saving devices -- including mixture "enhancers" and fuel line magnets -- and found that few provide benefits. Some may damage a car's engine or increase emissions. For a full list of tested products, check www.epa.gov/otaq/consumer.htm.
WASHINGTON - When gasoline hit $4 a gallon in San Francisco, Republicans quickly noted that it happened in the hometown of the nation's most powerful Democrat: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
In a speech on the Senate floor, Republican Kit Bond of Missouri recalled how Pelosi had promised lower gasoline prices before Democrats took control of Congress in 2006.
"Well, we certainly got change, all right," Bond said. "Since the Democrats have come to power in the House and Senate, pain at the pump has increased by 50 -- five-zero -- 50 percent."
With the national average price of a gallon of regular gasoline at a record high of $3.62, lawmakers are out to gain ground by doing what many of them do best: beating up the other guy.
And many of them are scrambling to offer consumers relief, hoping it will ease people's burdens as the summer travel season approaches.
In the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York has criticized Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois for opposing a plan to suspend the 18-cent federal gas tax. Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona proposed a "gas tax holiday" to help consumers from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Pelosi doesn't want to suspend the gas tax, which is used to pay for highway projects. But she said President Bush could save consumers from 5 to 24 cents on a gallon of gas by suspending deliveries to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
"The longer the president delays action, the more the American people will pay at the gas pump," Pelosi said.
Kansas Republican Rep. Todd Tiahrt said a lack of domestic refinery capacity has contributed to rising costs, noting that it has been more than 30 years since the last refinery was built in the United States.
He has introduced a bill aimed at "streamlining the permitting process" for new or expanding refineries. And while Tiahrt said there "are no silver-bullet solutions," he said he's open to the idea of supporting a gas-tax holiday, adding: "Kansans need relief."
Many Democrats want the Justice Department to investigate allegations of fraud and manipulation in oil and gas markets.
And energy executives are getting plenty of heat as lawmakers accuse them of making exorbitant profits during a period of economic strife.
Oil companies are defending their record profits.
Forty-four percent of Americans now cite soaring gasoline prices as their chief economic concern, according to a survey for the Kaiser Family Foundation. To show their frustration, more than 100 truckers showed up in Washington to drive their rigs and blow their horns as part of a demonstration last week.
Fearing more political fallout in an election year, members of Congress are eager to convince voters their party is better equipped to respond to the rising prices.
For Republicans, that means taking aim at Pelosi.
"As the price of gas climbs higher, it looks like the Democratic plan to bring down prices was another of their empty campaign promises," said House Republican Whip Roy Blunt of Missouri.
Pelosi said House Democrats have passed legislation to address rising gas prices, including a bill that gives the Federal Trade Commission the authority to punish anyone who artificially inflates the price of energy. And she noted that another bill passed by Democrats will expand tax incentives for renewable electricity, hybrid cars and energy-efficient homes, buildings and appliances.
Democrats prefer to blame the president, noting that gasoline prices have more than tripled since 2002.
