Three State and Local “Fixes” for High Gas Prices
As energy prices rise, they have an impact not only on individuals, but also on state and local governments, colleges and universities, companies, and organizations of all sorts. In many of these institutions, there is currently little understanding of oil depletion and its far-reaching consequences, let alone a plan for an energy transition. As a result, when energy prices rise sharply, some public institutions adopt ad hoc measures in response to the high costs that affect them as well as employees and members of the public.
Today, National Public Radio highlighted three such efforts in different parts of the country. Collectively, they reveal that we have a long way to go before we get a handle on this massive problem.
NPR’s All Things Considered began with a report on Utah’s decision to shift most state government employees to what Governor Jon Huntsman calls a 4/10 schedule, a work week comprised of four ten-hour days. Utah’s governor says that the move to a four day work week for most employees will reduce energy usage and carbon dioxide emissions and save the state $3 million per year. The report noted that workers for the state government were surprised by the news, and most either loved or hated the plan. While the shortened work week will allow many government workers to reduce their commuting costs, it also disrupts patterns that some employees had come to rely upon. Problems with child care arrangements as well as night school classes were cited by some employees as conflicts that the new policy would create for them and their families.
A second story addressed an unusual move by sheriff’s deputies in Fairfield County, Ohio to save gas. While some have resorted to walking to reduce government spending on gas, a few deputies are using golf carts that have been painted to resemble conventional patrol cars. Oddly, the text of the story that appears on NPR’s website refers to the vehicles as “electric carts,” while on the audio a sheriff’s deputy mentions filling up the cart’s six gallon tank. At any rate, the carts, which were originally purchased for use in parades, have some drawbacks, including a top speed of 25 miles per hour and the fact that they are open air, which one deputy quoted in the story chose to regard as a benefit during the summer months.
Finally, All Things Considered covered a community college in Tennessee that is responding to the rising cost of commuting for the students it serves. Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin, which serves a rural population that must drive a long distance to campus, previously introduced online classes and concentrated weekend classes. Now, it is introducing what it calls full-time Fridays, which enable students to take all of their classes in just one day each week. Taking four classes back-to-back amounts to a staggering 13 hour day! The reporter notes, “There is some concern that academics could suffer,” and the administration recommends the new option only for highly motivated students. Frankly, I can’t imagine anyone who would thrive on that schedule.
While the kinds of measures described in these stories may provide a little assistance at the margins, they are clearly not adequate solutions that will help people or institutions in the ways that are needed in the long run. As energy costs continue to mount and the effects of peak oil become more pronounced, institutions cannot hope to extend or scale these fixes into durable solutions. A work week of four ten-hour days might be feasible for most people and might help a little, but the state can’t move to two twenty-hour days per week when energy prices go up further! And we’re not likely to find a significant portion of police forces switching to golf carts either. More comprehensive solutions are needed, but these will only come when there is a better understanding of the nature of the problems we face.
You can listen to the audio of all three stories on the today’s All Things Considered page on NPR’s website.
Evan
Very enlightening!