On April 1, the Department of Energy reported that the price of gasoline had topped $1.51 a gallon.  President Clinton, along with many congressional leaders, noted that high gas prices threaten the nation's strong economy.

Lawmakers in Washington are considering legislation that would temporarily suspend 4.3 cents of the 18.4-cent a gallon federal excise tax on gasoline from April 15 until Dec. 31 of this year.  In the event the average national gasoline price topped $2 a gallon, the entire tax would be rolled back for that time period.