No Kilojoules Energy Conservation

Do you think governments should raise prices to encourage conservation of electricity and water?

Public Comments

1. Local governments have in the past.
2. no would u like it?
3. No, but prices should reflect the actual cost of the resources. For example, in CA it is hugely expensive to pump water to So Cal. They built massive cities in the middle of the desert and have been diverting water for decades to support the growing population. It is becoming a problem now that the over all state population has reached a point where the water available can't satisfy the current life styles. The state is now proposing a huge project to improve the supply to So Cal. I say the population that will benefit should pay the bulk of the expense. I shouldn't be taxed to have the water that is in my back yard shipped to an other county and have them waste water on lawns because it's cheap water.
4. To slow down the use of fossil fuels that is the only thing that goverment really can do. People are going to use electricity as much as they want until the price gets so high it starts to hurt and people start turning off a lot more appliances. You can't stop people from driving and such or slow them down unless you push them, that really is the only practical way. People that voice out against co2 emmisions and such don't realize the price they will have to pay for it if laws start getting passed. I'm just going to sit back and watch the regret that is about to come.
5. Not everyone gets municipal utilities. Many folks buy from private companies. Since I own a bit of utility stock, I would like to see their prices (and my dividends) rise but I doubt that it would do much to cut consumption. What we could do is make the utility companies pay to extend their lines without passing the costs along to all the customers. This might serve to slow suburban sprawl.
6. That's exactly what cap and trade will do. It is estimated to add $2.00 to a gallon of gas and a 40% increase to the cost of electricity. That's a permanent increase. There isn't an alternative fuel source that can commercially replace oil and coal at this time and won't be for 20 to 30 years. We are still going to need to use coal and oil so why tax the crap out of us now. Jim
7. No. The government should stay out of it, except to enforce laws already made. It's illegal to discharge into lakes, rivers, ocean yet its done now freely. Taxpayers are subsidizing power production. Let the cost of power be the true cost without subsidies. Same for water. That will get companies to find better ways to conserve water and power without the government getting involved and making up rules that don't apply very well to every situation.