(CNSNews.com) - Anxious to look like they’re doing something about rising oil and gas prices -- but unwilling to expand domestic oil drilling -- Democrats have introduced a bill that’s supposed to ease pain at the pump by offering alternatives to driving.

The bill does nothing to increase domestic energy supply. Instead, it’s focused on the demand side of the equation, and that’s earned it kudos from environmental activists.
 
According to the Environmental Defense Fund, the bill -- called the Transportation and Housing Options for Gas Price Relief Act of 2008 -- would allocate taxpayer money to:
 
-- expand public transportation;
 
-- encourage “pay-as-you-drive” auto insurance policies that reward low-mileage drivers with lower insurance premiums;
 
-- reduce commuting costs by providing incentives to employers and employees to take transit, bicycle, carpool, walk, or telecommute to work;
 
-- help local governments create "walkable, bikeable" communities;
 
-- help Americans make "smart" transportation and housing choices by educating them about their options;
 
-- create “location efficient mortgages" that would make owning a home near transit more affordable.
 
The bill also would require the federal government to upgrade key Web sites so Americans would have easier access to government services without leaving home or work.
 
"This timely bill provides Congress with a great opportunity to show it is responding to Americans' pain at the pump, insufficient public transit and costly housing options," said Michael Replogle, transportation director at Environmental Defense Fund and a former consultant for the U.S. Federal Highway Administration and the World Bank on sustainable transportation strategies.
 
"America has less than three percent of the world's oil reserves, so we will never be able to produce what we need domestically. Our best bet is to use our limited domestic gas supply wisely and facilitate alternatives to driving where possible, as this legislation does."
 
Replogle said at a time when demand is rising for transportation options, the bill would encourage the creation of “new and necessary” transit alternatives. “It would ultimately benefit all Americans by saving them gas money, reducing our dependence on foreign oil, alleviating traffic, and reducing pollution," he said.
 
H.R. 6495 was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and it is cosponsored by Reps. Chris Shays (R-Conn.), Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) and California Democrats Ellen Tauscher, Jerry McNerney, and Hilda Solis (D-CA).
 
Republicans say instead of spending money to curb demand, Democrats should think about boosting supply.

Republicans insist it’s time to drill for more oil on American soil. They have adopted an “all-of-the-above” approach to energy policy that includes expanded domestic drilling as well as conservation and development of energy alternatives.