The head of the Federal Trade Commission predicted Thursday that Congress would pass a to forbid price-gouging on gasoline despite her warnings that the country does not need one and it might cause fuel shortages.

FTC Chairwoman Deborah Platt Majoras said she has warned Congress publicly and privately about the dangers of such a law.

"We looked vary carefully but didn't see any new legislation needed to protect consumers," Majoras said at an antitrust conference Thursday. "Will new legislation be passed? I think we will see a price-gouging statute pass, perhaps at the end of this (incoming) Congress."

With gas prices rising to over $3 per gallon (€.62 per liter) early this year, the House passed a bill permitting large fines and jail time for price gougers. The Senate has not acted on it, and Democratic Sen. Max Baucus, the next Senate Finance Committee chairman, said Thursday, "There's a lot more that has a higher priority."

Majoras said she understood the public's frustration and concern, but a coming FTC report on the price spikes found that consumer demand was up at the time.