Gas prices broke the $1.

Saturday, May 05, 2001

Gas prices broke the $1.80 barrier in Albert Lea this week, and analysts nationwide are expecting to see numbers topping $2 or even $3 per gallon before the summer is out.

How do you explain this? Do we blame it on OPEC? Is it price gouging, as many believe? Is it a ploy to get federal regulations lifted? Who knows?

If anybody does know, they’re not telling. The gas companies, who don’t seem to be suffering much in the profit column, certainly aren’t giving out many answers. Last summer, they tried to blame ethanol, but that was a laughable attempt to shift the blame.

One thing is for sure: Somebody should know, and our government should take the time to find out. President Bush talks about reviving the economy with tax cuts, but any tax cut will just go to pay for the nearly doubled price of gas. If you want to revive the economy, do something about those gas prices.

Some senators and other federals have talked about looking for answers. But what have they come up with? It’s time for a serious and thorough investigation into this problem. If it doesn’t happen, the administration’s ties to the oil industry will become all the more suspicious.