Drilling safety’s gas price impact

There may be good reasons for Congress to drag its feet on offshore drilling safety [“Soaring prices alter energy debate a year after gulf spill,” news story, May 4], but the price of gasoline isn’t one of them. The United States is part of a global petroleum market, and tougher safety standards for U.S. drillers would probably raise gas prices by a few pennies per gallon, at most.

Alan J. Krupnick, Washington

 The writer is director of the Center for Energy Economics and Policy at Resources for the Future.