Kudos to Drew for posting a how-to on saving money and increasing efficiency at the pump.
Before I launch into this, let me clarify one thing: I am writing to my friends and neighbors in Alexandria. When I first returned to Alexandria, I was surprised by the number of people who believed that the City of Alexandria was directly responsible for the increased price of energy. Of course, the City of Alexandria vs. Cleco case may have contributed to the misperception that increased fuel and electricity costs could have somehow been avoided, despite the trends in the national and international markets. But since I am in favor of calling a spade a spade, let’s call it what it is: Simplistic political pandering.
Many Alexandrians have not yet realized (or, relatedly, have not yet been fully-informed by their local media) that the local increases of energy costs (and the increased burden it has caused on all of our lives) is a national, if not international, problem.
The City is a municipal utility provider, but our monthly bills don’t just reflect the price of electricity; they also reflect the costs of supplying water, sewage, and garbage pick-up. Because of these ancillary and necessary services, our “utility” bills may be technically higher than our friends to the north, whose bills are broken down into component parts and whose electricity is provided to them by a publicly-traded corporation. But when you add everything up, there is not any real difference (pennies on the dollar); indeed, on some months, our costs are lower, and on other months, their costs are lower.
It’s bizarre to see people exploit the issue of increased fuel costs on a local level, as if our local government has any power over the whims of the international energy market. But nonetheless, people have done it- knowledgeable people, people who should know better.
If you see a candidate who professes to be able to “lower your utility bill,” then you’d better ask them whether or not they have the private phone numbers of the White House, OPEC, and the consortium of corporations and speculators who help to determine the way in which prices are set. If not, we should call them out for the naive and exploitative gimmick.
As this graph illustrates, although, on the whole, delivery costs have actually DECREASED, the price of the commodity- in this case natural gas- has been steadily rising:
Of course, the government can provide relief to the indigent, for example, which it currently does, but it is counter-productive for our frustrations on this issue to be directed at our local government, who primarly deal with programming, infrastructure, and local economic and workforce development, when the problem of energy costs is global.
That said, there are things we can and must do– not just as a City but as a nation. We must invest in renewable and more efficient fuel sources. We must continue to fully fund the research and development of cutting-edge energy technology. And we must recognize that there will not be– at least for now– a universal solution.
In many parts of Louisiana (and indeed, throughout the nation), our reliance on natural gas has proven to be ill-advised. But again, this is not a local or even statewide issue; it requires national leadership that can guide international prerogatives.
CenLamar 