Politics aside, I can't see how releasing crude oil will help when we need gasoline. The refineries simply aren't functioning. Any amount of oil won't help the situation, as every refinery in the country was at full capacity before the crisis.
Relaxing the blending restrictions will help, but does anybody know how much that will really effect the supply of gasoline and diesel for consumers?
And trust me, any extra cost burdening the oil companies will quickly be passed on to consumers. I am not being angry at the oil companies, it's just economics. Unfortunately for consumers, there are very few alternatives to going to the gas station.
As for me, I'm in Japan, and prices haven't gone up here yet. They were 4 dollars a gallon before any of this anyway.
Have a great day!
Tom