Post by Marks - the Earth's Sun on Jul 10, 2005 16:26:08 GMT -5
Do rising gas prices hurt Natives more?
Bush pushes Congress to pass energy bill
Native American Times 6/15/2005
As gas prices continue to soar, an American Indian columnist is asserting that Native Americans are disproportionately hurt by the rising cost of oil.
Oil prices rose by more than $1 a barrel as President Bush called for greater energy efficiency to reduce America’s dependence on foreign sources of fuel.
David Pego, a member of the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe, said jacking up the cost of gas is a “particularly cruel blow to some of the nation’s poorest peoples.”
His reasoning is multi-faceted. The first is that many Natives depend on summer vacationers.
“I bet if you are like most Americans, the rising cost of filling your gas tank will keep you closer to home. That’s very bad news for Indians and others who are heavily reliant on summer visitors to their home communities. Many natives work at tourist attractions and others have season jobs at hotels or stores that are greatly affected by the number of out-of-state license plates they can see in the parking lot,” Pego wrote.
The second reason Pego gives is that many Natives live in rural areas and must travel further distances to get food and other supplies.
Even the beloved tradition of the summer powwow could take a hit, Pego writes.
“It’s not going to be an attractive proposition to drive 200 or more miles for some dancers unless they think they have a good chance of scoring some prize money to offset the cost of a couple of tankfuls of fuel.”
In Washington, Bush is encouraging Congress to pass an Energy Bill.
“The American people know that an energy bill will not change the price of gas immediately, but they're not going to tolerate inaction in Washington as they watch the problem grow worse," he said.
The Energy Department said this week that retail gasoline prices average $2.13 per gallon nationwide, an increase of almost 40 percent in the past two years. The agency said demand over the past four weeks was 3 percent higher than a year ago.
Bush pushes Congress to pass energy bill
Native American Times 6/15/2005
As gas prices continue to soar, an American Indian columnist is asserting that Native Americans are disproportionately hurt by the rising cost of oil.
Oil prices rose by more than $1 a barrel as President Bush called for greater energy efficiency to reduce America’s dependence on foreign sources of fuel.
David Pego, a member of the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe, said jacking up the cost of gas is a “particularly cruel blow to some of the nation’s poorest peoples.”
His reasoning is multi-faceted. The first is that many Natives depend on summer vacationers.
“I bet if you are like most Americans, the rising cost of filling your gas tank will keep you closer to home. That’s very bad news for Indians and others who are heavily reliant on summer visitors to their home communities. Many natives work at tourist attractions and others have season jobs at hotels or stores that are greatly affected by the number of out-of-state license plates they can see in the parking lot,” Pego wrote.
The second reason Pego gives is that many Natives live in rural areas and must travel further distances to get food and other supplies.
Even the beloved tradition of the summer powwow could take a hit, Pego writes.
“It’s not going to be an attractive proposition to drive 200 or more miles for some dancers unless they think they have a good chance of scoring some prize money to offset the cost of a couple of tankfuls of fuel.”
In Washington, Bush is encouraging Congress to pass an Energy Bill.
“The American people know that an energy bill will not change the price of gas immediately, but they're not going to tolerate inaction in Washington as they watch the problem grow worse," he said.
The Energy Department said this week that retail gasoline prices average $2.13 per gallon nationwide, an increase of almost 40 percent in the past two years. The agency said demand over the past four weeks was 3 percent higher than a year ago.