With gas prices creeping ever higher, there are plenty of possibilities being debated in Congress right now -- attacking speculators, windfall profits taxes, and drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. But as New York Newsday editorializes, none of those will have much impact at the pump in the short term:
So what's left? Conservation and developing alternatives to gasoline. That means driving less, switching to more fuel efficient cars, mass transit, bicycles or even walking. And it means Washington taking the lead to promote the aggressive development of alternatives, such as gas-electric hybrids or hydrogen-powered vehicles, and the tax breaks and infrastructure needed to make them commercially viable.
That's no quick fix, but it has the great advantage of being effective.
We've been going on the fossil fuel version of fad diets for more than a decade now -- ethanol, more drilling, keeping gas taxes low -- all in hopes of trying to avoid having to consume less oil. But our problem has only gotten wors. Will we ever get on the road to long term solutions?