GAS PRICES - Jim Colyer

As gas prices hover around $3 per gallon, the Senate and president are taking action. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist wants to give taxpayers a $100 rebate. Democrats want a 60-day gasoline tax holiday. George Bush wants to increase refinery capacity. He has ordered the Energy and Justice Departments to open inquiries into whether the oil companies are guilty of price manipulation. Exxon Mobil profited $8.4 billion in the first quarter of 2006. The price of gas needs to be brought down. We are dependent upon foreign oil and will be as long as there is a drop left. At the same time, we need to open Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for drilling. People are more important than animals. We need to introduce alternative fuels like ethanol and manufacture hybrid cars. Finally, it may be old-fashion conservation which makes the difference. We need to make the most of our driving and stop the waste. ...JIM COLYER