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Dion touts carbon tax, billions in tax cuts
Jane Taber and Brian Laghi, Globe and Mail
Proposal making some Liberals nervous as gas prices soar
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Stéphane Dion is poised to unveil a carbon-tax scheme and attempt to neutralize any political damage by offering corresponding personal income tax cuts of between $10-billion and $13-billion to working Canadians, senior Liberal sources say.

The Liberal Leader wants this major environmental policy to be the centrepiece of the party's election campaign platform, according to the sources, and is anxious to reveal it this summer to give Canadians a chance to digest the idea before a federal election.

The plan, according to sources, would shift the 10-cent federal excise tax on a litre of fuel at the pumps into a broad-based carbon tax that would also apply to other fuels, such as for home heating. Sources say that the plan would not add more taxes to gasoline.

But the key is that the money raised - estimated as much as $17-billion - would be returned to middle-class and working Canadians in personal income tax cuts, making it revenue neutral. There could be corporate tax cuts as well.
(8 May 2008)
Contributor Scott Chisholm Lamont writes:
If you are interested in tearing your hair out, read the comments on this article.

Oil addiction to drive US election
Stephen Ellis, The Australian
WITH Wall Street suddenly abuzz with talk of crude oil prices reaching $US200 a barrel and the three remaining presidential candidates apparently vying with one another to present the most politically opportunistic (and economically absurd) energy "plan", it is becoming increasingly clear that America's addiction to cheap oil is likely to be a major issue this November.

Unfortunately, if the recent level of discourse is any indication, there is little likelihood of anything useful emerging from the political debate. For that to happen, there would have to be an acknowledgment by politicians that the forces of supply and demand prevail in the global oil market, just like other markets, and are at the root of US dependence on imported oil.

Instead, as exemplified by the bizarre proposals from Hillary Clinton and John McCain for federal petrol taxes to be waived this US summer to alleviate high prices, politicians are barely able to even acknowledge the role of US demand in the oil market.
(8 May 2008)

A big price to pay beyond the pump
Terrah Baker, Jody Shackelford and Jan Thompson, South Missourian News.
Gas prices are on the rise and the effects are being seen throughout the county.

Transportation plays a major role in all aspects of life including those that help Fulton County function efficiently. With gas prices rising regularly and the future of the increases unknown, many people are wondering what will have to change for Fulton County to stay financially stable.

Ann Hines, director of the Organization of Arkansas Oil Marketers, explained how oil prices around the country affect our local communities.

... Truckers

THAYER - Like everyone else in the country, people living in the Mammoth Spring/Oregon County area are wondering when and if the price of gas and diesel is going to go down.

Transportation plays a major role in the everyday lives of most people in rural America. Many in the area have to travel 20 to 30 miles and sometimes more, one way, just to get to work.

Then there are those that make a living hauling goods from one area of the nation to another. These small, locally owned companies are feeling the pinch and struggling to keep their big-rigs rolling.
(8 May 2008)
Contributor Rick Lakin writes:
An in-depth local perspective on fuel prices from the heart of America (The head ambulance driver is named Bubba). The article includes a description of the problem and also some solutions with hard numbers. You don't have to go to the big city papers to find excellent journalism.

U.S. consumers rank last in world survey of green habits
Queenie Wong | McClatchy Newspapers
Americans rank last in a new National Geographic-sponsored survey released Wednesday that compares environmental consumption habits in 14 countries.

Americans were least likely to choose the greener option in three out of four categories - housing, transportation and consumer goods_ according to the assessment. In the fourth category, food, Americans ranked ahead of Japanese consumers, who eat more meat and seafood.

The rankings, called "Greendex," are the first to compare the lifestyles and behaviors of consumers in multiple countries, according to the National Geographic Society.
(7 May 2008)
With depressing regularity, the U.S. keeps coming out on the bottom of surveys like these. -BA