Due to the global economic slowdown, we were benefiting from relatively low oil prices. But because of the instability of the Middle East and the slowing of the global economy we are seeing oil prices fall. But when the global economy fully recovers, you can expect the price of gas to keep rising.

One of the key principles of economics is the law of comparative advantage. In view the President Obama's hold on the Keystone Pipeline project and our memory of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico a few years ago, I want you to see yourself as an economic adviser to the U.S. Congress and the president, and in your initial opinion present your advice as to what they should do or not do. Support your argument with economic principles including the concept of comparative advantage. Noteworthy is the value of the dollar on the exchange markets. Oil is bought and sold globally in U.S. dollars; so all countries must buy dollars on the exchange markets to buy oil. Effectively, the value of the dollar to another nation’s currency could make oil more expensive or less expensive for that nation depending on the exchange rate when a purchase is made.