Released: June 23, 2008

Can Congress really lower gas prices?

Source: Erin Kelly, Gannett News Service

Will Congress do something to cut gas prices before you drive off to the beach this summer? Not a chance, energy experts say.

The truth is that despite the flurry of bills being debated on Capitol Hill, Congress cannot control the global price of oil nor offer real help for beleaguered American drivers now or in the near future, analysts say. Many of the solutions lawmakers are proposing — from drilling in the Alaskan wilderness to boosting the use of renewable energy — would take years or even decades to have an impact.

“I wish I could say there was relief around the corner, but there isn’t,” said Robert Ebel, senior energy adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “Congress members don’t want to tell you that, but that’s the reality.”

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