Gas consumption is down...

A whopping 0.6 percent from last year. Which, given the 70 cents a gallon (22%) increase over last year, would seem to indicate that if gas rises to $11 a gallon we might cut 10% of our consumption. I recognize, of course, that there is a cliff at which consumption will drastically be ratcheted back, but am admittedly intrigued by the fact that after all of the news about the effects of the increase in fuel costs we have cut consumption by a whopping 0.6%. This just confounds me. I wonder if anyone in Congress is questioning their complete ineptitude with regard to CAFE standards over the past 23 years? I doubt it, but they should recognize that their own capitulation to the auto industry is a significant contributory factor in the current situation, whereby even with large increases in price we are struggling to even hold the line on consumption. I guess you should also blame urban (or suburban) planners, auto manufacturers, and consumers, but it seems to me that a truly strong energy security policy needs to be set from DC.*

* Though I'm beginning to like the small approach favored by sustainable agriculture folks who were left out to dry by the feds for years and are developing their own alternative system of food production. Unfortunately, this may be a little harder to emulate with regards to alternative and sustainable energy.