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Youngstown Motorists Pay $14M More for Gasoline
WASHINGTON -- Ohio drivers could pay as much as $483 million more for gasoline this summer driving season than they did last summer, with as much as $14 million of that higher cost coming out of the pockets of motorists residing in the Youngstown/Warren area. So finds a minority report by the U.S. House Committee on Government Reform jointly released late Wednesday by U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-17th, Ohio, and his five Democratic colleagues in Ohio's delegation. "This report proves what Americans already know every time they fill up their gas tank: high gasoline prices are posing a huge hardship to families struggling to make ends meet," Ryan said.The politically charged report was released the same day that the Democratic Party's presidential standard bearers, John Kerry and John Edwards, campaigned for the first time together at public rallies in Cleveland and Dayton. It examines the impact of the increase in gasoline prices in Ohio -- a state George W. Bush and Dick Cheney must win to keep the White House -- as well as in Ohio's major metropolitan areas. The report finds that the increased costs could force motorists in the state to pay nearly a half billion dollars more for gasoline this summer. "The increased costs would be approximately $62 million in the Cleveland area, $53 million in the Cincinnati area, $43 million in the Columbus area, $25 million in the Dayton area, and $14 million in the Youngstown area," the report states. "For the average family in Ohio, the increase in gasoline prices could increase fuel costs by approximately $125 between Memorial Day and Labor Day."Gasoline prices reached record levels in May, nearing $2 per gallon in the Mahoning Valley. The price has since come down to an average of $1.75 per gallon. Nevertheless, Ryan said, "Prices are still expected to remain high by historical standards." High gasoline prices have significantly affected family budgets and the economy as a whole, the report documents. Increased expenditures for gasoline reduce discretionary income and can fuel inflation by raising the price of consumer goods.An estimated 2.8% of all gasoline bought in Ohio is consumed in the Youngstown area, according to the report.This means that Youngstown drivers purchase some 13 million gallons of gasoline monthly, Ryan said. Assuming gas prices in the region remain 36 cents per gallon higher this summer than last summer, increased gasoline prices would cost Youngstown drivers an additional $4.7 million monthly. The report states there are an estimated 286,000 drivers in the Youngstown area. "On a per-driver basis, the increased gasoline prices would cost the average driver in Youngstown approximately $50 more over the summer months. An average two-car family in the Youngstown area would spend an additional $100 on gasoline during the summer driving season," according to the report.In May, Ryan co-sponsored House Resolution 611, which calls on the president to push for increases in oil production, to suspend deliveries to the strategic petroleum reserve, increase funding for developing renewable energy sources, and reduce dependence on foreign oil. "It's been almost two months since my colleagues and I called on President Bush to take action by redirecting oil headed for our nation's reserve supply and making it available to American consumers," he said in releasing the gasoline price report. "But so far, the administration has done nothing.Every day the administration delays, is another day my constituents suffer the consequences.""