Washington in brief

Environmental laws blamed for gas costs

Oil industry officials told senators on Wednesday that environmental regulations were driving up the cost of gasoline, which is higher than $2 a gallon in some states.

Their testimony, before the Senate environment and public works committee, came two days after several industry groups applauded new emission standards for diesel fuel and one day after the cost of a barrel of crude oil rose to the highest level in nearly 14 years, more than $40 a barrel. It also followed the latest earnings reports from some of the nation's largest oil companies, which reported record profits for the first quarter of the year.

The industry officials said that three decades of federal regulations on refineries in the name of cleaner air and better health were driving up gasoline prices by depressing supplies and forcing companies to comply with regulations, rather than spending the money to expand refineries or build new ones.

Since 1981, the number of domestic refineries has fallen to 149, from 321, they said, and none have been built since 1976. With most refineries operating well above 90 percent of capacity, industry experts say higher gas prices are inevitable because supplies are limited, demand is high and companies cannot compensate when processing is interrupted by breakdowns or other problems.

Neither witness said how much of the current price of gas is directly attributable to the regulations. A chart was presented showing that crude oil accounts for 46 percent of the price, taxes 24 percent and marketing and distribution 11 percent. That leaves 19 percent for refinery costs, but the chart did not explain what portion could be linked to environmental regulations.

While the industry officials won sympathy from Republicans on the committee, their views were challenged by Democrats and other witnesses, as well as by Don Zinger, chief of staff of the Office of Air and Radiation for the Environmental Protection Agency, who said in an interview: "We don't think environmental requirements are a major factor in the run-up of gas prices. It's clear to us, the rising cost of crude oil prices is the major factor."

WASHINGTON - The Sept. 11 commission has submitted written questions about the 2001 attacks to al-Qaida detainees and expects to receive responses soon, the panel's vice chairman said Wednesday.

Under an arrangement negotiated with the Bush administration, the bipartisan panel was given access to classified intelligence reports on government interrogations of the detainees in U.S. custody, Lee Hamilton, a former Democratic congressman, said in an interview.

After reviewing them, the commission came up with questions for the detainees to try to fill in gaps regarding the hijacking plot, he said.

Hamilton declined to characterize the nature of the information the panel sought or which al-Qaida members it targeted. The commission in the past has expressed interest in getting information from Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind, and other suspected leaders.

"We believe the information that we have obtained from this process will be discussed in our final report," he said.

A dozen members of Congress Wednesday called for the resignation of the two Food and Drug Administration officials most responsible for last week's decision to keep emergency contraception a prescription-only drug.

At a press conference, Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., said Steven Galson, acting director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, and acting FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford had allowed politics to trump science in their decision.

"The FDA's decision to ignore its own scientific advisory board and its own staff clearly demonstrates the leadership would rather pander to conservative interests than protect women's health and well-being," said Slaughter, co-chair of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus. She also called on the General Accounting Office, Congress' investigative arm, to probe charges that the FDA's decision on the emergency contraceptive, Plan B, was driven by politics.

A coalition of women's health and religious groups, many of them participants in the large women's rally on the Mall last month, joined the members of Congress in calling for a review and reversal of the Plan B decision.

The Senate, nearing its first major update to special education since 1997, agreed Wednesday to accelerate spending on disabled children but refused to lock in specific increases.

Senators hashed over competing plans to fulfill the promise that Congress made almost three decades ago: the federal government's commitment to cover 40 percent of the cost of educating children with special needs.

The matter is significant because states and school districts must pay for whatever expenses the Congress does not. That can amount to billions of dollars that local communities say they need for teachers, training, supplies and construction.

Spending is the major sticking point in the Senate's renewal of the Individual with Disabilities Education Act, the 1975 law. As many as 6.7-million students are in special education.

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