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Al Gore Support Center Online Forum 2008 :: A Reality Based Organization Fighting For Al Gore! > Environmental Issues > $9 a gallon for petrol;should americans pay $6



Title: $9 a gallon for petrol;should americans pay $6
Description: $6 a gallon as catalyst for change


protean42 - July 27, 2007 08:14 PM (GMT)
In the U k i pay $9 dollars a gallon of petrol- do you think if Americans paid $6- it would act as a good catalyst for change- the drive towards smaller/ less destructive co2 producing cars.I say only $6 dollars because you have greater distances to drive than in UK.i think American car market is very large so if they change then others will follow.

thisplanet - July 28, 2007 12:14 PM (GMT)
This is how much Terry Tamminen, former director of the California EPA, thinks we really pay.

QUOTE
If all the hidden costs that Americans currently pay for oil were reflected in the price at the pump, gasoline would cost more than $13 a gallon.


From the RollingStone article by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. titled
Global Warming: A Real Solution

Global Warming: A Real Solution - RollingStone article

It is a long but great article. Al Gore and Robert Kennedy, if that was the ticket it would blow my mind. Either one of these guys are the "baddest man on the planet" when they start throwing punches.

Gas is about 20 cents a cup! People don't realize that it is cheap. They don't like the high prices, but if you drive 55mph on the interstates, you are risking your life! It is dangerous! It's like those drivers become a pack of Pavlov's dogs and the conditional reflex when their hands touch the wheel and foot is on the gas is a speeding frenzy. :mad:

It is not as simple as people realize. Here's the whole paragraph from that Rollingstones article.

QUOTE
According to Terry Tamminen, former director of the California EPA, the true costs of our oil dependence run as high as $807 billion a year ? or $2,700 for every U.S. citizen. If all the hidden costs that Americans currently pay for oil were reflected in the price at the pump, gasoline would cost more than $13 a gallon. In short, taxpayers and consumers are essentially giving the oil industry a subsidy of $10 for every gallon of gas sold in America. If we simply eliminated those subsidies and created a truly free market, renewable sources of energy would beat oil ? as well as nuclear power and coal, which receive equally grotesque subsidies. It is only through these giant subsidies that gasoline has a prayer of competing with alternative sources such as biofuels and wind, which produce energy far more cleanly and efficiently, at far less cost.

al001 - July 28, 2007 03:51 PM (GMT)
QUOTE (thisplanet @ Jul 28 2007, 06:14 AM)
This is how much Terry Tamminen, former director of the California EPA, thinks we really pay.

QUOTE
If all the hidden costs that Americans currently pay for oil were reflected in the price at the pump, gasoline would cost more than $13 a gallon.


From the RollingStone article by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. titled
Global Warming: A Real Solution

Global Warming: A Real Solution - RollingStone article

It is a long but great article. Al Gore and Robert Kennedy, if that was the ticket it would blow my mind. Either one of these guys are the "baddest man on the planet" when they start throwing punches.

Gas is about 20 cents a cup! People don't realize that it is cheap. They don't like the high prices, but if you drive 55mph on the interstates, you are risking your life! It is dangerous! It's like those drivers become a pack of Pavlov's dogs and the conditional reflex when their hands touch the wheel and foot is on the gas is a speeding frenzy. :mad:

It is not as simple as people realize. Here's the whole paragraph from that Rollingstones article.

QUOTE
According to Terry Tamminen, former director of the California EPA, the true costs of our oil dependence run as high as $807 billion a year ? or $2,700 for every U.S. citizen. If all the hidden costs that Americans currently pay for oil were reflected in the price at the pump, gasoline would cost more than $13 a gallon. In short, taxpayers and consumers are essentially giving the oil industry a subsidy of $10 for every gallon of gas sold in America. If we simply eliminated those subsidies and created a truly free market, renewable sources of energy would beat oil ? as well as nuclear power and coal, which receive equally grotesque subsidies. It is only through these giant subsidies that gasoline has a prayer of competing with alternative sources such as biofuels and wind, which produce energy far more cleanly and efficiently, at far less cost.

Excellent response. It should also be noted by our UK friend that while many in the upper income bracket do buy gas guzzlers for themselves and children the vast majority of Americans are of the very low income bracket and must depend on the auto they can afford.

In most cases this is an older used car that gets very poor mileage per gallon. The UK on the other hand has been realizing the use of smaller autos for a long time.




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