Back to the SUVs?

Gas prices plummet towards $2.50 a gallon nationally--will we abandon notions of energy independence and wind energy, and climb back into our SUVs? We did that once before back in the early 80s after the Iranian crisis abated and gas lines disappeared. Cheaper gas led to the big sprawl wave--exurban growth, McMansions, more shopping centers and big vehicles to travel to and from them.

But U.S. home-grown oil resources steadily decline from early 1970 peaks (when we were the world's number one oil source)--the reality is more off-shore drilling won't make much of a difference in reversing that trend. And do we want to continue to be at the mercy of events in the Middle East and be compelled to send our military there to safeguard our interests at huge costs? Let's face it we are one terrorist attack on Saudi oil fields away from $5 a gallon gas.  Then there is the global warming issue--do we want to keep spewing out tail pipe pollutants with mounting deleterious consequences? And lastly, the reality most of us don't focus on at all is congestion in our metropolitan areas. These places are the nation's primary economic engines and they increasingly have been gridlocking, because their infrastructure systems can't accommodate all the increased traffic from more cars having to travel greater distances to get around between work and home.  The slow downs reduce gas mileage and increase pollution, while businesses and people get less efficient--time lost in traffic translates into lowered productivity. Cheap gas aggravates congestion problems--we need to become less car dependant, especially considering expected population growth over the next 30 years. More cars and more vehicle miles traveled aren't the answer even if we find a pollution-free energy source.

And let's not forget the reason for nosediving gas prices--an  unprecedented, worldwide economic panic, which has sent international demand for oil into a tailspin. Increasingly volatile energy prices could suddenly increase again when economies improve. And we're back in a price shock mess.

If we're smart we will focus on the energy independence goal--and over the long-term that includes changing where we live and work and how we move around. 

   

Comments

[kin powell]

of course we revert,i never changed, might @$5/,& the point is that the only Americans are going to be herded into pregnant roller skates W/o an internal combustion engine is through taxes on gasoline or deisel or cng, or kwh or h2 is a TAX. The ONLY way i concieve of such a tax passing is via constitutional amendment, with the FED as the decider & 100% of the money is sequestered & used by the FED to reduce our overseas debt. Reduces forgien debt ,increases prices of Gbonds & keeps interest rates low. The Fed is the only institution the people might accept to administer such a program.

[Justin]

Let's get real! Americans have become sedated, out of touch with history, and to busy to have a vision compelling enough to take on the monumental task of changing our habits for the greater good of our children's generation and the generations that follow. It's not about saving the earth people. It's about saving the vitality of the human race! The Earth has been here many millions of years and will be here many millions more. The real decision is if we want to be here with it.