Energy Security for American Families

315 views · Published 25 September 2008 · 1:40:13 · Indexed 20 September 2026

Channel: New America · 2008 · News & Politics

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Spiraling energy costs are a concern for every American family-particularly the millions of households for whom every extra dollar spent on energy comes at the expense of other necessities. In a cruel twist, the people most in need of relief from high energy costs are those least able to afford the longer-term investments that would deliver it. Irvine Fellow Lisa Margonelli of the New America Foundation has developed a proposal to break this cycle, while avoiding the distortionary effects of gas tax holidays and tax rebates.

Margonelli's Energy Security for American Families Initiative would put efficiency-maximizing technology within reach of lower-income households through a range of incentives and low-interest loans. The proposal also supports public/private flexible transportation solutions. ESAF offers a market-oriented approach that steers working families' income towards productive expenditures rather than foreign fuel, reduces the burden of skyrocketing energy costs, stimulates the economy and cuts emission of greenhouse gases.

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