"Lately I’ve seen this idea in several places, that governments should intervene to ensure that gasoline (or coal etc.) stays above a certain price — $4.00 per gallon of gasoline, for instance — so that consumers, entrepreneurs, utility companies, auto makers et al. will know that they can never expect a return of lower fuel prices, and therefore ought to turn their efforts to conservation, alternative energy sources, and so on. Whether the idea should be pursued, I don’t know." - that depends on what the goal is. if it is to compel real, fundamental change in our consumption habits - at any cost - then yes. if it's to continue pulling the band-aid off slowly, then no. - stephen o'grady

I'm for it. Kill 2 birds: foster demand for alternatives, and fund their development. If there were ever a moment in which it might be politically possible, now's the time. - Jon Udell

I'd be for it (Europe has had high gas taxes for decades), but politically this would only be possible in the US (even now) if most of the money went right back to taxpayers, and with a whole bunch of exceptions and loopholes for business and agriculture that would distort the economy in new ways. About the only way I see this happening indirectly is by special taxes on oil company profits or their infrastructure (like a federal property tax on filling stations and storage depots). - Michael R. Bernstein

But however you slice this, any *effective* measure is going to impact rural and suburban communities disproportionately, since the historically low price of gas has benefited them disproportionately. - Michael R. Bernstein