Among the 50 states, California uses the least energy per capita. It is also the state where the energy crisis has hit the hardest. When the imbalance of demand and supply pushed up prices, California was helpless. Democratic governor Gray Davis has gone crying to Washington for salvation. Green slogans cannot replace the need for a steady flow of cheap energy.
Bumper stickers make poor kindling.
Gov. Davis's plea to President Bush for price controls on interstate wholesale energy suppliers is itself an admission of conservation's failure. Higher prices would induce more conservation if this were an easy cure. Instead, Davis wants the federal government to hold down prices so Californians can continue to consume. If successful, other states and the federal government, can adopt the new methods. But if a policy fails, as California's has done so spectacularly, other states and the federal government, should pay heed and avoid making the same mistake.