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Six Ways to Cut Gas Prices Forever

Six Ways to Cut Gas Prices Forever

By Marty Padgett's avatar Marty PadgettMarty Padgett June 18th, 2008

Old Gas Pumps

Old Gas Pumps

Enlarge Photo
Cheap gas has never been guaranteed. Nevertheless, we Americans have tended to treat it--like so many things--as a right, not a privilege. And this entire political season is threatening to be overwhelmed entirely by the idea that we have the right to $3 or $2 a gallon of gas without making a single sacrifice.

Even our fantastically flexible economy is struggling with today's gas prices. The momentary inconvenience of paying more and driving less is only a symptom. The root cause is that we're beholden to a generation of lunatic-fringe fundamentalists who see a big recession as sort of an hors d'oeuvre before they commit the next terror attack here at home. And we're beholden to a lifestyle that we're unwilling to support with what we have and what we can afford today.

So while you might really be looking for six ways to cut costs at the pumps today, I'm giving you six ways we can cut gas prices forever--but it's bitter medicine, no doubt:

Drill here, drill now--and refine. Open up the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge, the Florida and California coasts, and the shale deposits in the Rockies for more exploration. Send the signal that we're serious about doing for ourselves. Start right now by signing the petition online from Newt Gingrich's American Solutions. Build refineries to handle the expansion. If you want a larger economy and more prosperity, it must be fed.

Cut tariffs on Brazilian ethanol. We have 6 million flex-fuel vehicles already on the road. Our ethanol's expensive and inefficient to produce; Brazil makes a lot of richer ethanol at much cheaper prices, but we levy a tariff on it to "protect American farmers." At the current state of U.S. ethanol production, E85-equipped vehicles will never reach a tipping point of acceptance, and development will stall like it did in the early 1990s when I drove my first flex-fuel Chevrolet Lumina. Detonate demand: open the door to Brazilian imported ethanol, get people used to looking for something other than gas, and make an even stronger relationship with a country that's in our hemisphere and has identified huge oil reserves as a backup. Farm states don't want it, proving that self-interest doesn't only run deep at the gas pump.

Go nuclear. Wherever possible, we need to build new nuclear reactors and a real solution in place to deal with nuclear waste. If China, Russia, and India can have more than a hundred reactors in the planning stages, so can we. This is the only way to make plug-in hybrids work: get cars on the grid and off the tanker.

Leave "Big Oil" alone while we cut consumption. Idiotic calls to "seize oil profits" and "take oil companies to task" are fright moves that will scare the existing industry out of exploration when we can least afford it. If more Americans knew the difference between a profit margin and pure profit, this wouldn't even be an issue.

Keep researching for usable alternatives. Hear about the bacteria that excrete crude oil? Or the natural wind tunnel of West Texas that could be farmed? These are great examples of energy diversity. Keep funding research and expanding use, but if they can't turn a profit in 15 years, move on. Rely on American ingenuity first, resources second.

Dump the CAFE standards. The most destructive legislation in industrial history needs to be broomed. Let the market decide whether big cars live or die--and only with heavy guarantees in place, set a flat national tax on gasoline that goes directly to improving roads and easing traffic flow. Some automakers like the idea, because it makes more sense to consumers and it makes more sense to industry than CAFE. I like it because it leaves choice in your hands.

And for a seventh, how about:

Get real about driving--and flying, and shopping, and everything. Here's where you come in. You don't need three cars. You don't need to live 50 miles from work or from public transportation. You don't need to drive 30 minutes across town for "a great meal." Learn to cook, learn to ride a bus, and learn to consume less where you can. Driving is not the only player in our crude-oil domestic melodrama, but it's an easy place to start. Old Gas PumpsEnlarge PhotoCheap gas has never been guaranteed. Nevertheless, we Americans have tended to treat it--like so many things--as a right, not a privilege. And this entire political season is threatening to be overwhelmed entirely by the idea that we have the right to $3 or $2 a gallon of gas without making a single sacrifice. Even our fantastically flexible economy is struggling with today's gas prices. The momentary inconvenience of paying more and driving less is only a symptom. The root cause is that we're beholden to a generation of lunatic-fringe fundamentalists who see a big recession as sort of an hors d'oeuvre before they commit the next terror attack here at home. And we're beholden to a lifestyle that we're unwilling to support with what we have and what we can afford today. So while you might really be looking for six ways to cut costs at the pumps today, I'm giving you six ways we can cut gas prices forever--but it's bitter medicine, no doubt: Drill here, drill now--and refine. Open up the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge, the Florida and California coasts, and the shale deposits in the Rockies for more exploration. Send the signal that we're serious about doing for ourselves. Start right now by signing the petition online from Newt Gingrich's American Solutions. Build refineries to handle the expansion. If you want a larger economy and more prosperity, it must be fed. Cut tariffs on Brazilian ethanol. We have 6 million flex-fuel vehicles already on the road. Our ethanol's expensive and inefficient to produce; Brazil makes a lot of richer ethanol at much cheaper prices, but we levy a tariff on it to "protect American farmers." At the current state of U.S. ethanol production, E85-equipped vehicles will never reach a tipping point of acceptance, and development will stall like it did in the early 1990s when I drove my first flex-fuel Chevrolet Lumina. Detonate demand: open the door to Brazilian imported ethanol, get people used to looking for something other than gas, and make an even stronger relationship with a country that's in our hemisphere and has identified huge oil reserves as a backup. Farm states don't want it, proving that self-interest doesn't only run deep at the gas pump. Go nuclear. Wherever possible, we need to build new nuclear reactors and a real solution in place to deal with nuclear waste. If China, Russia, and India can have more than a hundred reactors in the planning stages, so can we. This is the only way to make plug-in hybrids work: get cars on the grid and off the tanker. Leave "Big Oil" alone while we cut consumption. Idiotic calls to "seize oil profits" and "take oil companies to task" are fright moves that will scare the existing industry out of exploration when we can least afford it. If more Americans knew the difference between a profit margin and pure profit, this wouldn't even be an issue. Keep researching for usable alternatives. Hear about the bacteria that excrete crude oil? Or the natural wind tunnel of West Texas that could be farmed? These are great examples of energy diversity. Keep funding research and expanding use, but if they can't turn a profit in 15 years, move on. Rely on American ingenuity first, resources second. Dump the CAFE standards. The most destructive legislation in industrial history needs to be broomed. Let the market decide whether big cars live or die--and only with heavy guarantees in place, set a flat national tax on gasoline that goes directly to improving roads and easing traffic flow. Some automakers like the idea, because it makes more sense to consumers and it makes more sense to industry than CAFE. I like it because it leaves choice in your hands. And for a seventh, how about: Get real about driving--and flying, and shopping, and everything. Here's where you come in. You don't need three cars. You don't need to live 50 miles from work or from public transportation. You don't need to drive 30 minutes across town for "a great meal." Learn to cook, learn to ride a bus, and learn to consume less where you can. Driving is not the only player in our crude-oil domestic melodrama, but it's an easy place to start.

Tags: Driving, Politics

Posted in: 2000, Chevrolet, Lumina



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Responses (19 total)

  1. 1
  2. 2

  1. By Tom L #1, Posted: 6/18/2008

    The above solutions have to be taken as all or nothing. You can't adopt any one of them and think it will work by itself. America needs a comprehensive energy policy working a variety of angles. I'm afraid that if we open additional drilling the increased supply will drive the price of gas down much more quickly than the other measures can take effect. I don't trust the government not to say "See problem solved" and abandon their responsibility regarding the other measures.

  2. By  David M Sasso #2, Posted: 6/18/2008

    You might be surprised to find that a Democrat like me agrees with every single one of Padgett's points. Especially are rediculouse not in my backyard aproach to oil exploration. If we want to get away from foreign oil than we need to be producing some of our own and if were worried about enviromental impact we can do a better job of watch dogging it here than we can on foreign soil.

  3. By Seano #3, Posted: 6/19/2008

    I'd be happy with most of Padgett's suggestion although the 'Go Nuclear' and 'Drill at all costs' strike me as somewhat pedantic..nuclear still isn't cheap and waste disposal remains unresolved while new oil is really only delaying the inevitable as the continuous growth model and a fixed supply of a basic resource is incompatible...regardless of merit neither is a quick fix - five years at best, two decades at worst. Think of what other options for energy diversity that a rich and seemingly intelligent nation like the US could really develop in such a timeframe.....biofuels, wind, solar, hydro, tidal.....
    ...in the end though, Padgett's last suggetsion is by far the best option for not only US drivers but drivers everywhere....

  4. By  Larry Huffman #4, Posted: 6/19/2008

    I agree with most of the points. One that is overlooked is for many white collar folks to work from home. In this information age, it should be easily possible and save a bunch in commuting.

  5. By Jim #5, Posted: 6/19/2008

    I totally agree, we "Need" to do everything! Search and explore Alternatives but we have to also Drill in this Country and look into things like converting Coal to Oil.

  6. By  Duxem #6, Posted: 6/19/2008

    Amazing... watch the prices of gas stations on your regular driving route. The same brand name station on the main street or highway entrance is usually more expensive per gallon than the station that’s a few blocks off the main route.

  7. By John #7, Posted: 6/19/2008

    Marty - I'll go with your last point as the most important and relevant. I'm not too crazy about drill everywhere - perhaps you're too young to remember the Santa Barbara spill of 1969 of the coast of California. Good point about Brazilian ethonal - they are way ahead on crop choice and use in Brazil. When you add the populations of Brazil, India and China you have half the worlds population - only Brazil is on the ball to be self sufficient.
    PS - The site is coming along nicely - you guys keep up the good work.

  8. By JRG #8, Posted: 6/19/2008

    All of these ideas are great and realistic, except that most people can't just move closer to the city or trade their SUV's for hybrid compacts - we have too much invested. In the same vein, our government needs to allow local oil exploration and refinement and also accelerated research for alternative energy resources, but there are no instant solutions for anyone. In the short term (15-30 years), we need to end our dependency on foreign energy sources (oil and ethanol); in the long term (50-100 years), we need to end our dependency on fossil fuels and learn to conserve all resources.

  9. By Joe #9, Posted: 6/19/2008

    Why not allow more workers to have a 4 day, 10 hour per day, work week? That will save 1/5 as soon as it is implemented. Our management pays lip service to this by saying it is up to local discretion. Not one area will allow this practice.
    As for the last point, Why not allow workers who cannot afford to live closer to the job site, work at home. They could come in for meetings on an 'as needed' basis and have a high speed internet access to preform Their daily work. All hours are already recorded on the normal networks.
    This is My personal opinion.

  10. By Jim #10, Posted: 6/19/2008

    "Drill here, drill now." I'm pretty darn far from being an eco-friendly kind of guy, but this strikes me as awfully short sighted, and just plain stupid.
    Are you actually willing to sacrifice some of the world's most beautiful places, just so Joe Replublican-Voter can continue to drive his quad-cab-duallie-towing-package-luxo-barge-monster-truck to the office and have his choice of 16 cupholders in which to place his extra large latte? You've got to get past this whole freedom of choice thing, and take some responibility. Your last point made that absolutely clear.
    Cut consumption, and you cut cost. It's that simple. Consumers in markets where fuel has always been more expensive drive smaller cars, and have countries with perfectly functioning economies. Why can't we?
    Researching alternatives? Good idea. It's a shame that it takes this sort of "crisis" to motivate the average citizen into action on this sort of thing. Brazillian ethanol? Also a good idea, but the govt. is very protective of domestic industries, and it'll be hard to get this past the farm lobbyists pounding on office doors in Washington.
    Nuclear? Well, like my mother always said "If your friends jump off a bridge, are you going to jump too? Again the "researching alternatives" point comes into play.
    Sorry about the rant, but it's about time America woke up and smelled the coffee.
    Jim

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