With gasoline prices at the pump climbing strongly into the $2 slot, many people are becoming concerned about how high they may go, and what Congress should do about it, if anything. Petroleum prices effect the pricing of so many other products. Most of the items bought by consumers have been trucked some distance from a factory, to a warehouse, to a retail store. Consumer transportation, home heating, and electricity can also be adversely affected by rising fuel costs.

Besides capped oil wells and vast reserves in Alaska, the United States maintains a petroleum storage called the