By DAVID SEIFMAN City Hall Bureau Chief
June 11, 2008
The only way to reduce energy consumption is to raise taxes "dramatically" on users, Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday.
Bloomberg has been arguing for months that the United States is falling further behind in the energy race.
He recommended emulating European nations that decades ago opted for nuclear power.
In the meantime, he said, Americans are going to have to face the harsh realities of $130-a-barrel oil.
"I don't think there's any short-term quick fix," the mayor observed.
"Reducing taxes on energy consumption is the wrong way to go. We should be raising taxes on energy consumption dramatically because it's the only way you're going to force people to use less."
An aide said Bloomberg's comments shouldn't be taken as "a call to action to increase gas taxes," which would be politically explosive.
Republican presidential candidate John McCain has proposed suspending the federal tax on gasoline.
Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama is calling for a windfall profits tax on oil companies.
