Mr. Stooksbury recommends:
I am not so naive as to believe that we can put up a couple of windmills and solve all of our problems, but the first step is obvious: tax the consumption of coal and crude oil to encourage conservation and substitution.Wouldn't this penalize the middle and working class, who may have limited options when it comes to securing alternate means of transport, and small farmers and business owners? Large corporations would be better suited at absorbing the increased expense and passing it on to their customers, no?
Now it may be the case that even if the government were to admit the fact of peak oil and take control over the distribution of oil and electricity that corporations would still be privileged over normal Americans, and that they would receive a greater allotment of oil and electricity, all in the name of economic necessity.
It seems that the "right" thing for the government to do would be to ensure the equitable sharing of resources, as much as possible, and at the same time to commit to the goal of relocalization. Curtailing consumption of energy can be fair only if the burden is distributed justly, and society as a whole makes those structural changes that would enable people to do with less. Can the Federal Government get its act together, cast off corporatism, and coordinate with the states? (Or, allow the states exercise their sovereignty?)
Edit. Mr. Stooksbury is not alone in suggesting a tax -- Tom Whipple: What ONE Policy Change Would You Make?
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