ANCHORAGE — Alaska’s junior U.S. senator wants his constituents to graphically demonstrate the high price of gasoline in their state.
Democrat Mark Begich said Wednesday that he is asking residents to send in photos they’ve taken of prices at their gas stations’ pumps. He has already begun featuring them on an interactive map on his website.
“The rest of the country doesn’t understand what gas prices are like in Alaska, and Congress continues to stall when it comes to passing a real energy plan. So I’m asking Alaskans to help me tell the story,” Begich said.
The price of gasoline Wednesday was $4.23 per gallon at some stations in Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city and busiest port. But they were far higher in communities off the road system, especially in villages that cannot be reached by ocean tanker or river barge.
Begich’s website showed the price of gas in Anaktuvuk Pass, a village in the Brooks Range in northern Alaska, at $8.60 per gallon.
“No matter what time of year it is, Alaska’s cities pay more for fuel than just about anywhere in the lower 48, and rural Alaska pays some of the highest costs in the country year-round,” Begich said. “It’s time to tackle this problem.”
Begich said Congress must seek both short and long solutions to high energy costs.
He has introduced a measure to allow Alaskans to set aside pre-tax dollars to pay for gasoline and other energy expenses. The Family Account to Save on Transportation Act, or FAST Act, is modeled after medical savings accounts. The measure would allow employers to set up pre-tax transportation savings accounts.
“With gas prices already more than four dollars a gallon, the average price is more than 95 cents higher than this time last year,” Begich said in a speech last month. Gas is now above $4 per gallon in 13 states and Washington, D.C.
The measure, he said, would be designed to expire in two years so there was be no long-term burden on the federal budget.
Since January, the national average for a gallon of regular unleaded has risen 91 cents, or 30 percent, to $3.98.
The main reason for the hike is a 20 percent increase in the price of oil this year. Gas rose more than 30 cents in April as refinery problems led to a drop in supplies.
Comments (20)
Add commenthow about droping the tax on gas ?
Why not drop all the state, city and federal taxes on gas for say two years. And make it public in each city what the taxes are so the public can see if the gas station has lowered the price that the tax cut would be. So if there was a 5 % sales tax on gas at 4.00 a gal that would knock off 20 cents per gal.
yes but
The stations did not lower their pump price last time state tried suspending fuel tax.
How 'bout stop all the bs and
How 'bout stop all the bs and Drill Here, Drill Now already?!
Get rid of all the gasohol (remember that from the 70's) subsidies that are causing our commodity prices (hence the price of our food) to skyrocket.
Now I'm reading that BO wants to start taxing you on miles driven? 2012 hurry up or we may not have any country left to save.
http://hotair.com/archives/2011/05/05/new-plan-lets-just-tax-drivers-by-...
We pay far less than they do
We pay far less than they do in Europe. We've been spoiled with low oil prices. Hopefully as the price of oil continues to rise, certain people who shall not be named will extricate their head from their nether regions and see beyond the glint of black gold they think has the magic power to solve every problem.
Well, pp, we're all Europe
Well, pp, we're all Europe now!! What does that have to do with anything?
My point is you're acting
My point is you're acting like spoiled children. "Oh, my gas is $4 a gallon! Whaa!"
Solution: stop using so much of it. Advocate for green energy solutions and more efficient mass transit (like railways).
"Drill, baby, drill!," by contrast, is not a solution. It's not even a band-aid.
Americans seem to think excessive consumption is their right, and they're about to find out the hard way that this is not the case.
We have been screaming for
We have been screaming for green alternatives for years. The oil companies shove another wad of cash at our politicians who pretend they didnt hear us. Why would it be different now?
In case you didn't know,
In case you didn't know, America has the largest economy in the world. We're an oil driven world right now, hence, America uses more of it.
Drilling for our domestic oil resources is, in fact, a solution to the high prices of gasoline.
In your perfect world, looking through rose colored glasses, we would have no waste, no pollution, no illness, and we'd all be dancing around the May pole. Get real....
Take a look down the road and see if you (or better yet, think of future generations) will like living in the "perfect" world you are imagining. I'm guessing not. And if you think it'll be great, have at it, but stop demeaning all the rest of us. We're not "spoiled children".
No, domestic drilling won't
No, domestic drilling won't lower gas prices.
http://money.cnn.com/2011/04/25/news/economy/oil_drilling_gas_prices/ind...
And it would be more accurate to say the world is ENERGY driven. The European Union actually is a bigger economy than ours, but they use far less oil, and their consumption is dropping.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/21...
It's our RIGHT
-In case you didn't know, America has the largest economy in the world. We're an oil driven world right now, hence, America uses more of it.-
hahahha. And we aren't a bunch of fatties either, just big boned. THAT"S why we need SUVs to go shopping.
Then shut them down
If the stations did not lower the price then close them down or put a fine on the ones that don’t and make it a law, we have laws for everything else and this one that would save us $ at the pump. If you made them do it they would as they still want the profit they make and that is what drives them to sell gas in the 1st place
Cause and effect drives the Price of oil...
The people who participate in the oil pricing (commodity Traders) are simply betting prices will continue to rise. If you have less of something it is worth more. There is no more simple way to express the truth behind the rising fuel prices than that statement.
If we were to say Alaska is going to drill for oil, the price of oil would drop immediately, as the oil was actually "produced" the price would plummet. Begin to build a refinery and this would drive the markets to lows not seen since the 60's and 70's. When you have an abundance of something the value goes down.
It really is no more complex that this, the fact that we are being controlled (handled) by Washington and frankly this current administration is evident. They (the federal Government) say we can not drill and we sit with our hands in our empty pockets wondering why someone would deliberately cause such hardship on the people they are suppose to be protecting and supporting.
Yes, we need other forms of energy, I get it, but for the love of Pete folks its not the will of Americans that we should all go to the poor house because someones agenda is to pressure us into producing and buying something that can not be manufactured before we all go broke! We can drill AND continue to become less dependent on oil.
Drill and the price goes down, anyone telling you any different is selling snake oil and as such should be ashamed of deliberately distributing a less efficient oil that does not reduce the cost one bit.
Do you believe for one minute that Sarah Palin would allow drilling if she were to be elected president? I'm not advocating here I am just saying, there are people vested in your hardship to accommodate their agenda, you have to wake up and see the truth about why it is happening. It will continue to happen until you vote to fix it or just allow the country to go belly up, the folks doing this are not going to take their boot off your neck until you obey them. We have a system that allows us to change them out like a dirty diaper, I say we do just that...
Oil companies make more money when prices are high....
why would they want to lower prices by drilling? The elected officials who vote against drilling are in the pockets of big oil lobbyists - simple as that. Why else would they continue to let their constituents suffer? If our elected officials really wanted to lower gas prices they would, but the oil lobby has so much power that they simply buy the votes they need to keep prices high.
I think Alaska (why not the State of Alaska?) should start building refineries, reclaim (through eminent domain) our oilfields, and at least provide ourselves (especially our Native Alaskans) with FREE or very cheap oil and gas......who could stop us?
want proof
come and sit in fred meyers parking lot near the pumps.. every 3-4 days they jack the price 3-5 cents.. they did it AGAIN 2 days ago.. now juneau is 4.17.. by saturday should be over 4.20.. the paylock pumps near AELP are 4.21 and downtown.. forget it.. need to hock a kid to buy there
fuel prices in Europe vs. in U.S.
You can't really compare our fuel prices here with those in European countries. Those countries in Europe with huge fuel costs are socialist and they are paying taxes on EVERYTHING and FOR everything and getting variant things in return (college education, medical care etc.). There have been times when the English were paying 80% of their wages to taxes. Too bad government never has its appetite appeased. No matter how much you give they want more. ALSO, Europeans don't have to drive nearly the distances to get to work etc. Their countries are tiny in comparison to the U.S. They are better served with public transport than we will ever be. Sheesh, they can get in a car or train and be in a new country in a few hours!
did ya notice?
I drove the loop around town recently and found it weird that each gas station could have such big price range differences; $4.09, $4.05, $3.88 and so forth. We dashed to the $3.88 station and filled up quick. Yes, they've since upped their prices. To me 5 or ten cent differences seems like a lot...but then I'm always stoked to get my fuel rewards at Fred's or Safeway. Does that mean I'm a nerd? or just poor?
" He has already begun
" He has already begun featuring them on an interactive map on his website."
What website would that be?
@Micky: most European nations
@Micky: most European nations use the same economic model we do—a mixed economy. They are not "socialist," they are socialist/capitalist the same as we are. They do tend to slant more towards socialism than we do, however, and wouldn't you know it—Europe is, on the whole, a nicer place to live than here.
Also, you say they are taxed so they can provide other services, and then in the next breath say, "government never has its appetite appeased." How is providing social services greedy government? Hell, how can government be greedy at all so long as revenue isn't lining the pockets of "private contractors" and politicians?
Also, the UK's TOP TAX RATE was once 83%. Ours was once 90%. That is the top rate, not a flat rate.
OK let me put it differently...
Since my last post was flagged as a personal attack.
I would feel like a moron if I were in a position to do something about Alaska's energy problems and the best I could do was ask everyone to take pictures.
How about natural gas, geothermal energy, solar power or hydrogen from water for goodness sake?
I might wonder if I could get any money from the oil companies for keeping the little people busy taking pictures instead of thinking about things like the budget, or alternative energy, or an Alaskan oil company. Taking pictures keeps people from wondering why I don't have one piece of legislation to my name that even deals with the problem.
I mean if I were a senator.
"however, and wouldn't you
"however, and wouldn't you know it—Europe is, on the whole, a nicer place to live than here"
Personal opinion. I've lived in England, Spain, France and Visited at least 10 others. I would and have settled on southeast Alaska being my home for the long haul because of many reasons. One or them being this is a much nicer and safer place then most country's I've been too. And states for that matter.
Comparing Europe and US shows depth lacking. We are so different it's impossible to do a side by side. Spain decriminalized all drugs and almost immediately crime dropped HUGE. Do that here and you'll see OD's become an epidemic.
If you can't constructively criticize our country don't fall back on "they do it this way and it's better" argument, the only people it convinces is people even less educated then you. That's for politicians to do.