Increased gas prices hitting students' pockets hard

by Bernadette Smith

$2 per gallon during the peak driving season this summer.

staff writer

Increasing gasoline prices have made the cost of driving a vehicle more difficult as compared to previous years' prices and have forced motorists to either reduce their amount of travel or pay outrageous prices to fill up their tanks.

Ministers of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, an intergovernmental organization dedicated to the stability and prosperity of the petroleum market, met recently to discuss the need for increasing oil production, but no agreement was made. OPEC's top two oil producing nations, Iran and Saudi Arabia, are at odds with how large of an increase in production should be made. Saudi Arabia, OPEC's largest oil producer favors an increase of 1.5 to 1.7 million barrels a day while Iran, the second largest oil producer, favors a smaller increase of 1.2 million barrels a day. Iran's increase is an amount that would probably not do much to lower world oil prices.

According to a Lundberg Survey of 10,000 U.S. gas stations, American motorists now pay an average of $1.59 per gallon for regular unleaded gasoline, an increase of nearly 60 cents since prices bottomed out at 99.8 cents per gallon in February 1999. As if current prices weren't bad enough, industry analysts warn of possible shortages and a price of

Many blame the gasoline problem on the Clinton administration for a growing dependence on imported oil. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, an Illinois Republican, said, "We have failed policies. I think that's what's driving the cost of gas."

The Senate may vote in the next couple of weeks on a plan to repeal the 18.4 cent federal gasoline tax temporarily if gasoline prices go above $2 per gallon. The federal gasoline tax pumps about $25 billion annually into the pus community, especially commuter students? Senior Rob Palumbo finds himself spending anywhere from $15 to $20 a week to fill up his 1996 Toyota Tercel. "My car gets good gas mileage, but at these prices it costs a fortune to fill up my tank," Palumbo said. highway trust fund, which is used for a variety of road construction and mass transit projects. "We need to find some short-term help, and I think the gas tax holiday, without it affecting the highway trust fund, would be a good idea," Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Current Pennsylvania unleaded gasoline prices range from $1.45 to $1.59 a gallon. Jennifer DiScienzo commutes from New Jersey and finds gasoline prices to be a little bit cheaper. "The gas prices in New Jersey range from $1.38 to $1.45 a gallon for the cheap stuff, but I still spend around $21 a week to fill up my Corolla since I commute to school," DiScienzo said.

How is the gasoline shortage affecting the Cabrini cam-

So what can we do about the rise of gasoline prices? The AAA organization has issued a Gas Watcher's Guide, a set of fuel-conservation instructions for motorists struggling with the strain of record-high fuel prices. Some suggestions include shopping around for the lowest gasoline prices, leaving plenty of time to reach destinations to avoid engine idle, practicing good vehicle maintenance, and trying car pools or public transportation.

There is also a boycott being put together for April 7-9, in which motorists are being asked not to buy gasoline on those days. Apparently, a one-day boycott was done in Canada not too long ago and helped bring down the gasoline prices and there's hope it could happen in America as well.

What's Going On This Week