with the almost weekly increase in the price of gasoline & diesel

[tidus1203]

So much for the people bragging that diesel will be cheaper to run than gas variants, might not be the case in the near future if you also factor in the vehicles cost, maintenance and insurance...

[redorange]

Even open pit mining can be eco friendly if the mining company would recover the mined area by filling in back the removed earth and rock. This is the current model used by open pit mining and even by garbage landfills in the developed countries.

That's a big IF to risk losing some national parks that will never be the same after it has been mined. I'd rather they find alternative fuels or pay higher gas than lose a park that I can take my child to and enjoy with the next generation. Some parts of Europe and Asia already pay 2x as much as the Philippines and the US for fuel so it's just a matter of paying what the rest of the world already does. I figure if I can't afford the fuel then it's time to find something more economical, but I won't risk screwing up the environment more than it already is just to get cheaper gas for another 50 years or less. There is already talk of losing the polar caps in the next few decades and I wouldn't want to face my grandchildren to tell them I sacrificed something of theirs so I could have gas cheaper for a few more years.