Gas prices climbing daily; Obama 'doing everything he can' to push prices down by TJ Winick WHAS11.com Posted on February 23, 2012 at 4:43 Pm. New York, NY (ABC) – Gas prices are shooting up which means the tempers of American drivers are shooting up. The average price of an unleaded gallon is $3.61 and climbing every day. Near Los Angeles, a gallon costing $4.05 at 11 a.m. shot up $0.16 in just three hours.
There are signs of gas gouging too. Outside Orlando it costs nearly $6 for a gallon of regular.
As prices soar at the pump, President Obama is in Miami defending his energy policies and claiming he's doing everything he can to push prices down.
“America is producing more oil today than at any time in the last eight years […] my administration has approved dozens of new pipelines, including from Canada. And we've opened millions of acres for oil and gas exploration,” said the President.
Still, gas production is way below the three and a half billion barrels produced in the 1970's. Energy experts say foreign oil imports are down in part because US demand for oil has slumped.
Campaigning in Phoenix, Mitt Romney attacked the President for not doing enough to decrease US dependence on foreign oil.
“I will open the Keystone Pipeline and get oil from Canada. Let's get energy secure,” said Romney.
According to analysts, for every $50 dollars you spend at the pump, $31 dollars go to the oil companies while only about $1 in profits goes to the gas stations.