Robert Reich on Energy & Oil Former Secretary of Labor; Democratic Challenger MA Governor

$4 gas hurts, but we need long-term solution

A: Well, it�s great but it�s not going to solve the long-term problem because demand is outstripping supply when it comes to oil. Demand from developing countries, demand from developed countries and there�s a limited supply of oil. This is the whole point--to move the nation as rapidly as possible to wind and solar and other alternatives, renewable sources of energy, that are also not going to harm the environment.

Q: But that�s going to take a long time for all of those other sources of energy to really have an impact. People are suffering right now, $4 a gallon.

A: It is going to take some time, but even the Energy Department says that if we had more drilling here in the US, it wouldn�t be until 2030 that you real saw the results.

Encourage low-emissions and hybrid vehicles

Jump-start renewable energy & reduce power-plant emissions

As Governor I�ll also make sure we fully implement our power-plant emissions rules, requiring a 50 to 75 percent decline in emissions of nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide over the next few years, and reducing emissions of mercury and CO2.