Running Strong

ALMOST every poll shows Americans decisively rejecting higher taxes on fossil fuels, even though that proposal is one of the logical first steps in changing our policies in a manner consistent with a more responsible approach to the environment.” The American people “signal agreement in principle while reserving the right to object strenuously to each and every specific sacrifice necessary to follow through.” But only because they “are waiting for leadership . . . They are hungry to hear hard truths and are nearly ready to make the all-out effort necessary for an effective response.”

Perhaps they arc ready now. After all, it has been eight years since Al Gore published those thoughts in his 1992 book, Earth in the Balance, and almost as long since the Clinton-Gore administration took responsibility for providing leadership on these matters. True, the administration was thwarted in its attempt to enact a BTU tax in 1993, but OPEC’s latest antics have pushed up oil prices quite as effectively. Drivers will certainly notice if gas tops $2 a gallon this summer. And they will undoubtedly be reminded, by Republicans if not by Gore himself, that the vice president sees expensive gas as the “logical first step” in coming to grips with oil’s impact on the environment.

PH

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Peter Huber

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ALMOST every poll shows Americans decisively rejecting higher taxes on fossil fuels, even though that proposal is one of the logical first steps in changing our policies in a manner consistent with a more responsible approach to the environment.” The American people “signal agreement in principle while reserving the right to object strenuously to each and every specific sacrifice necessary to follow through.” But only because they “are waiting for leadership . . . They are hungry to hear hard truths and are nearly ready to make the all-out effort necessary for an effective response.”

Perhaps they arc ready now. After all, it has been eight years since Al Gore published those thoughts in his 1992 book, Earth in the Balance, and almost as long since the Clinton-Gore administration took responsibility for providing leadership on these matters. True, the administration was thwarted in its attempt to enact a BTU tax in 1993, but OPEC’s latest antics have pushed up oil prices quite as effectively. Drivers will certainly notice if gas tops $2 a gallon this summer. And they will undoubtedly be reminded, by Republicans if not by Gore himself, that the vice president sees expensive gas as the “logical first step” in coming to grips with oil’s impact on the environment.