CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Gas prices may keep some people at home during the upcoming Independence Day Weekend.
A new survey from FuelsAmerica.org showed many people are trying to balance out the higher cost of fuel by taking fewer trips, eating out less, spending less on clothes and gifts and cutting back on air conditioning use.
“We’ve been addicted to fossil fuel forever,” said Tom Buis, a renewable fuels expert with Fuels America. He said now is the time for a change. “I think what we’re saying is we can do better.”
At the close of June, the AAA Fuel Gauge put the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in West Virginia at $3.55, compared with $3.45 during the same time last year.
Buis said other energy sources, beyond oil, need to be tapped to help keep down the cost of fuel.
“They do have to make sacrifices and it’s really unfortunate that our nation puts all its eggs in one basket on our transportation fuel when there’s alternatives out there to provide competition that’s cheaper to help hold down the prices for consumers,” he said.
President Barack Obama’s recently released Climate Action Plan includes additional investments in clean energy technologies like natural gas, nuclear, renewables and clean coal technology.