http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/08/29/national/main801363.shtmlMaureen Hornung's plea to her legislator about spiraling gasoline prices was to the point: "Isn't there something that can be done? Please?" asked the Marine Corps veteran from Jackson, Wis.
It's a request that's being echoed in statehouses across the nation as constituents signal they've had enough of high prices at the pump — which could become even higher as hurricane Katrina batters the refineries of the Gulf Coast. And politicians are starting to respond, discussing things such as sales-tax holidays on gas, caps on wholesale prices, and even the sale of some turnpikes, whose profits could be used to keep gas taxes in line.
The complaints already have some lawmakers scheduling fall hearings on everything from possible solutions to state funding for low-income heating programs.
Hawaii, which often has the highest gasoline prices in the nation, has already gone beyond talk: Lawmakers have mandated a moving cap on the wholesale price of gasoline — that is, the price as it leaves in-state refineries.
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In Massachusetts, Secretary of State William Galvin is proposing a moratorium on natural-gas price increases through the winter as well as a suspension of the state sales tax on home insulation. He's also exploring the idea of having the state use its buying power to purchase home heating oil.
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