(Gas pump photo from Flickr and photographer Frank Shapiro)
Washington Report 1: High gasoline prices are good for the environment, right? People drive less and buy more fuel-efficient cars. Hybrid purchases were up 38% last year while overall new auto sales slumped 3%. So high gas prices do have some impact on curbing carbon omissions. Then why are so many of those who champion cutting greenhouse gases favoring a price cut, not a tax hike, on gasoline? Ask John McCain, GOP presumptive nominee for president, who has offered a bill creating a gas-tax holiday – removal of the 18.4% federal tax during the summer. And who’s co-sponsoring his idea? None other than Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), who follows McCain around like a puppy, and his partner on the global warming bill in the Senate, Sen. John Warner (R-Va.). This is a case where short-term political gain clearly outweighs long-term planetary goals. Some of the key environment-championing Dems are getting in on the act too – like Senate Environment Chair Barbara Boxer (Caif.) and Rep. Ed Markey (Mass.), who also want to bring down gas prices. The Dem proposals are different, though. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) would like to resurrect legislation passed by the House but not the Senate, to penalize gasoline price-gouging and repeal oil subsidies. Some other Dem ideas floating around are temporarily stopping oil transfers to the Strategic Petroleum Reserves (Boxer and Markey), and blocking arms sales to OPEC countries until they increase the oil supply. These measures aim to calm the speculation frenzy in the oil market and thus reduce prices. Different approaches but with the same goal: to cut prices so Americans can be free to use more gas. When will we learn? (Source: E&E News PM)
1 comment:
It is all about pre-election spin - Public Relations - political promises, which are never fulfilled.
Just one thought about the price of oil, which is constantly in my mind:
USA preserves the feudal royal kingdoms in the richest Arab countries. Without direct total protection from USA all these countries would have fallen like being under domino effect, starting with Saudi Arabia. Royal families would have been 'simply deleted', to use the mild word. They all know that, very well. They 100% rely on the USA.
Why, then, the President doesn't shortly and directly ask/order to all of them to cut the prices by night for as much as he wishes???
These countries have $trillions deposited on western bank accounts all over the world, and they could so very easily help their direct protector/partner/spouse in trouble - USA, in the moment of its financial crisis.
Diplomacy is sometimes very rough trade and as far as I know, the President haven't done much on this front, yet.
p.s.
Tax rebates and similar political tricks are not helping anyone, but destroy the value of dollar, trust, transparency, etc.
p.p.s.
But, as Cynthia had mentioned: maybe, the high prices are just a kind of 'environmental blessing' tin forcing us to move to saving and renewable energy sources, where oil producers are not going to get a chance to blackmail us, any more.
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