By Jerry Burris
Advertiser Editorial Page Editor

What is it that gives a political issue "legs"? That is, when does an issue that might have been around for years suddenly take on urgency and become the "killer ap" of a campaign?

The question arises because of the sudden (or apparently sudden) interest in the issue of gasoline prices in Hawai'i. At the Legislature, there is robust new interest in finding a way to "cap" or control gasoline prices in the Islands.

In the campaign for governor, at least two candidates have made gas prices a high-profile part of their campaign. State Rep. Ed Case, a Democratic candidate for governor, is pushing hard at the local oil companies in the Legislature.

And fellow Democrat D.G. Anderson has made his idea — a state-sponsored competitor to the local refining companies — a cornerstone of his campaign.

In short, a lot of lawmakers and a fair number of gubernatorial candidates are willing to bet their political future on the idea that local voters have had it up to here with what they believe are unreasonably high gas prices.

The odd thing is that there is nothing particularly new in the issue. Hawai'i has known for years that its at-the-pump prices for gasoline were among the highest in the nation. Any number of investigations — both by the Legislature and by the attorney general — have been attempted. The oil companies have tried to explain that prices here are the product of a complex combination of factors, including the size of the market, the cost of doing business in the Islands and other reasons.

Former Republican lieutenant lovernor candidate Kioni Dudley must be banging his head against the wall about now. In 1998, Dudley tried to make high gas prices the centerpiece of his campaign. But the issue never caught on; other candidates didn't pick up on the theme that local economy was "exporting" hundreds of millions of dollars in excess fuel profits out of state every year.

So if Dudley couldn't make it a high octane issue in 1998, why have gas prices caught on this time around?

Part of the answer is Gov. Ben Cayetano and his administration, which recently had to settle an antitrust lawsuit against local refiners. The state — encouraged by antitrust lawyer Spencer Hosie from California — was convinced it could prove an antitrust conspiracy by local refiners. As things turned out, it wasn't such a simple case after all. A key witness faded away and the legal climate changed, making what appeared to be a strong circumstantial case almost useless.

So Cayetano and his administration began beating the bushes on a different front. There may not be a provable conspiracy, they argued, but certainly the market is "broken" here and needs to be controlled. The consumers deserve a break. They've been suffering economically for years.

That was music to the ears of the cadre of folks who will run for office this season. What better target that this crucial commodity we all use and whose prices is posted in big red-white-and-blue letters on almost every street corner?

All of this is undoubtedly frustrating as hell to the local oil companies. But they are simply learning a lesson that is taught all too often: In politics, as in most things, timing is everything.

Reach Jerry Burris through letters@honoluluadvertiser.com.