Obama’s Energy Sec. wants gasoline prices to be three times higher

Too much thinking inside the box. Replace the gas flat tax with a tax that rises when price falls and falls when price rises. Call it a "floating tax" or "reversing tax". It would stabilize price at the pump and encourage people to buy fuel efficient cars and invest in renewables.

Petrol [gas] prices have been kept artificially high in the UK for decades, mostly via huge taxation. Has it worked? Well.... yes.

First, car manufacturers HAD to produce more efficient vehicles just to make running them affordable. People also use cars less in general because they're bloody expensive to run. Car sales have [until very recently] remained high because folks still need them.

The whole US car issue is seen as pretty obscene. Huge and grossly inefficient cars are sold that guzzle fuel like it's an infinite resource with little or no environmental concern. But hey, if you pay bugger all for fuel, its to be expected.

As for the comment '$10 bread', I wasn't aware their was a critical global bread shortage or that bread use was causing catastrophic atmospheric damage. I'll have to look that up.

Put simply, if the government wants The People to be using less of something, making it cost a shitload more is a pretty effective way to do it. Increased fuel duty being poured into green technology is something I'd sure as hell approve of.

Then again I've cycled to work every day for 6 years so what do I know.

ps. the recent re-explosion in SUV sales the moment gas prices dropped? That tells you exactly how much this needs to happen. Some people really are just too fucking dumb to do the right thing without being led by the bank balance.

This money they would make off hard working Americans like myself would go to everything but were it needs to go. Does he think we are that stupid after seeing them toss billions of our money to fix there own mistakes. At this point they are no different then the members of OPEC. This guy is completely out of touch with the people of this country.

Yeah not going to fly with the cost of living still going up and the unemployment rate skyrocketing people will stop driving an buying oil and at that point ....... EVERYONE KNOWS THE SUPPLY AND DEMAND SYSTEM RIGHT........etc.......etc.... and the prices go back down again?

What an idea. Stop subsidizing the import and subsidize the locally made fuels from renewables. GENIUS!

Makes sense, but no one wants the government to make things more expensive than already are. Fix the economy 1st and then start working on forcing people to drive more energy efficient cars. If they are going to charge more gas tax, then I want a tax rebate for my car that gets 30+ miles per gallon or a huge tax break on a electric car. By huge I mean $5000.00+

Here's a little secret...the reason we have some of the cheapest gas prices among oil-importing countries is that the federal government currently subsidizes the gas we buy - that's a big part of the reason it costs so much more in Europe. Now where does the government get the money to subsidize the gas? Taxpayers, of course. We're paying for it either way. SO, if the government started taking away those subsidies and instead used that money for tax breaks on upgraded vehicles, we'd come out about even in our payout, but we'd have much more efficient transportation. Combine that with tougher EPA standards, and 30 years down the road we're all better off since we're buying much less of the then-expensive gas, helping the planet and putting out the same money (or less)

bad step in the right direction. A majority of us still depend on gasoline, the only way to make us switch is to make alternative resources more accessible.

This is a joke! how many times have we seen tax payer dollars misused? And it seems the majority of you people enjoy paying taxes. But I work plenty hard for my money, like i'm sure the majority of you do, but i like to use that money how I want! Sorry to say it, the majority of Americans do not give a crap about alternative energy! Just look at the report that proved that the two top selling vehicles in the U.S. were gas hog trucks! Hybrids weren't even in the top 20 top selling vehicles! I don't know, this is not going to fly...

Until further technology is developed, and the price of hybrid cars comes down, this plan is not feasible. Why would you force people to pay more for gas in order to accept change? People will change when they want to change. I am all for going green, and alternate fuels, but this is just a straight up stupid idea.

what naysayers are failing to realize is that the tax revenue this policy would generate could help to increase energy efficiency, revamp our energy infrastructure, and galvanize alternative energy efforts. energy prices would be higher, but we'd need much less of it.

also, the reason gas is so cheap right now is because demand has plummeted due to the previous price hikes. a tax increase would also decrease demand and reduce the cost.

furthermore, we've likely surpassed peak oil and we're obliterating the environment. this can't go on forever and the consequences of not acting swiftly will be far more severe than increased gas taxes.

Isn't the problem the companies that refuse to switch to alternative fuels because it isn't financially benefiting to them...? Why not put legitimate pressure on those companies to provide affordable alternative fuel cars for the people instead of making life more unaffordable and challenging for Americans?

the pressure should be on car manufacturers to keep making fuel efficient cars. U shouldn't try to force the public into it. Raising the price of gas is gonna make the price of everthing else go up as well. And it's ridiculous to ask people to uproot their families and move into crowded areas closer to urban centers. Moving isn't exactly cheap either.

i havnt been on in a while, but the site has not disapointed me. Holy shit you people are actually happy about a promise about higher gas prices. Liberalism has got to be a mental disorder.

Hmmmm, there's a way to fix our problems, get government to do it....they handle other problems soooooo well. (Ex. Katrina, Economy, Diversification of energy sources, ad infinitum, ad nauseum)

Alot of people here must have really good jobs or live with there momma..

wow that is a way to set the people against you. seriously that is not the way to win the people.

Raising prices artificially, again? Maybe being a member of the "people's party" Mr. Chu would consider giving the people a break. It might have more of it's intended effect if dependable and affordable green mass transit were in place first.

it seemed to have worked just wonderfully a couple of months back! the people responded, they bought bikes (what the eff are those, sir?!), scooters and motorcycles__i heard the bicycle industry saw like a 10,000% increase in sales. endorsing the idea that oil is priced in accordance with demand, this works. now do i like it, NO. it all depends on what kind of increase we can expect and how soon. but as the economy nurses itself back to recovery, as we start to see a budding green industry with jobs and a workforce, as the dollar reaches a level of normalcy, ABSOLUTELY. like a crack addict, we need to ween ourselves off of our dependency.

This is why Democrats piss me off just as much as Republicans, sometimes. Artificially inflating prices, in ANY industry, especially through government intervention is just FLAT WRONG. It doesn't matter that in this case, a "good" outcome (alternative energy) may come of it. The administration needs to set internal goals to COAX people from oil, not bankrupt everybody trying.

“Somehow we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe.” SCREW. THAT. Why do we need to copy Europe? Last time I checked, America is larger than a few European countries put together. The American people are hurting financially, now is not the time to tax us out of our homes.

True. The carrot method didn't seem to work too well.

But how about we wait and let me be in charge of ramping up the gas prices instead?

No, nevermind, I have no clue what I'm doing either.

I'll have to do more research first.

It's hard to pretend that the high gas prices of a few months ago didn't have a huge effect on the way we think about alternative energy

I think that raising the gas tax is the right way to go.

If the government wants to mitigate some of the effect on people, it could always give generous tax deductions for buying hybrid or electric cars, or for retrofitting homes, with new insulation and so on, to make them more energy efficient. It could, also, give some other income tax breaks.

However, higher gas taxes are needed to keep people buying fuel efficient cars and to conserve energy.

not to be harsh, but change isn't easy, some people will have hard times. but the reality is oil is not an acceptable fuel, nor is coal. and the sad truth is american's are too stupid to care about alternative forms of energy unless it's directly affecting their pocket books.

an easier way would be for people to agree to develop and use alten, but that isn't very likely without a negative incentive now is it?

I will never be able to afford (edited 4.50) dollars a gallon and chances are I will not be able to afford a new car anytime in the near future, or the far future. What about these people like myself that are just left on the sidelines?

Sadly public transportation isn't so great here for the handicapped.

My business and livelihood will cease. It almost did when gas went over $4.00 and is still on shaky ground. High gas prices don't only hurt my limo business, but transport of cargo which is passed on to consumers via higher prices on food and goods. This is downright scary, and just when I had some relief and hope. Change will come if EPA standards are raised on the car makers, but it has to be done gradually so it doesn't make the transition unaffordable for the middle and low wage earners who are in fact the majority of tax payers. This guy belongs in a college classroom, not making US policy.

It's ridiculous because it's not enough. Chu is proposing to increase gas taxes over 15 years to get the price of gas up to the point at which it was a few months ago. I like the way he is thinking, I just don't think it's enough, quickly enough. Allowing for no increase in the next year while we're working our way out of a shiite economy of course.

I think that maybe this will force people to find better solutions. Perhaps renewable energy that can come from the waste we produce or something. I really hope that this is going to be the solution to the pollution created

Yeah, great idea, won't kill jobs, destroy the economy, lead to higher prices on everything, and make it impossible to grow food. What's next $ 20 for a loaf of bread.

it makes sense to me... sadly the only way Americans will ever switch over to another form of energy is if it hurts them financially.