Gas price tumult fuels interest in alternatives

Is the search for alternatives fuel coming to an end?

Over the summer, $4 gas has changed the way Americans live. The cars we buy, the places we live, the "stay-cations' we take and the crowded trains we are forcing ourselves to jump on all have to do with the summer's high gas prices.

Now that gas prices are down to a near $3.60 in the Boston area, will we change our gas-budgeting ways? "Right now, I hear people exclaiming with glee that they paid $3.39 for gas somewhere," says Art Kinsman, spokesman for AAA Southern New England. "People have to remember, they're still paying almost a dollar more than they were last year. So prices are still extraordinarily high."

According to The Boston Globe, with gas prices down, the critical moment is now. Will Americans go back to their old habits, or will they demand improved public transportation options from the government? Investors may or may not continue to show interest in alternative fuels. American's miles spent in the car may continue to plunge, however, with current gas prices their is potential for miles to begin an increase.

Gas prices will rise and fall, and the time and research spent on alternative fuels may come to a halt if we go back to our gas-guzzling days. Henry Lee, a director of the environment and natural resources program at Harvard's Kennedy School says, "We're going to have to do a lot more if we're going to significantly reduce our use of oil."

--Bridget O'Sullivan