How have rising gas prices affected you?

The price of gas continues to rise, with no relief in site. Yet Steve Pearce has repeatedly opposed efforts to reduce our dependency on foreign oil.

Read how his inaction has affected the lives of people in New Mexico.

---

In a good way. I think more about how necessary a drive really is, bought a bike to use for regular commuting to work and see a general rise in awareness about these same issues in people all around me.
- Darren S from Santa Fe

I have cut back on use of my vehicle.
-Craig J from Santa Fe

I am driving considerably less that I used to because the amount of money I now pay for gas is almost double what it used to be. I can still pay for gas but have to give up other things to do that. I also notice the affect the price of gas is having on groceries and have changed my grocery purchases also. I should be working less because I am retirement age but in fact I need to work more to make ends meet.
-Jane C from Santa Fe

I make fewer trips (a good thing), driving slower and less quickly... and ride my bike more (ditto). Good to see public transportation ridership is growing. We need more bus trips on smaller, more efficient buses here in Eldorado as well as a low speed road connection to Santa Fe from the west end of Eldorado for emergencies as well as energy savings.
- Craig H from Santa Fe

costs $80 to fill a tank; huge increase in air fares; trickle down effect to all aspects of the market due to people's fear of still higher prices in the near future
- Gary H from Santa Fe

Gas prices affect everything I buy, from food to clothing.
- Barbara W from Santa Fe

A lot especially driving to two jobs just trying to make ends meet. Had to quit what I love my sports in order to make sure i'm able to pay for gas.
-Yvette A from Albuquerque

My college student son and I have been sharing my car, increasing the cost of his education to me. I'm sixty and the increase in gas prices has also affected my ability to put aside retirement funds. It will also impact my retirement by increasing my expenses on a fixed income.
- Pamela C from Santa Fe

I cannot do the outdoor activities I used to in Northern New Mexico. I also limit my travel around Santa Fe.
- Vivian H from Santa Fe

Work
- George L from Santa Fe

Being on a very tight budget already it is difficult some times to come up with the extra $20-$30 now that I have to use to fill my gas tank. I have cut back on my driving and car pool a lot of places, but sometimes doing that is not always possible.
- Kelly B from Santa Fe

I am one of those who is paying over $4.00 a gallon and by having to do so, i have not been able to take my family on road trips like we always have in the past. It puts a stress magnet on the family and its not healthy.
-natasha h from albuquerque

In just about every aspect of my life gas prices are having an impact. However, I welcome the higher prices as a catylst for change.
- Gregg C from Albuquerque

I own one of those gas guzzling cars that need to be outlawed, a Chrysler Pacifica. We bought it at a time when we had no other options. Now we try to leave it in the garage as much as possible and will dfinitely dump it once the lease is up.
- Kevin C from Santa Fe

My husband drives to Santa Fe every day for work. He is in IS and he doesn't have a regular schedule so he cannot commute with others who also work in Santa Fe and he is unsure of the commuter train because of his odd schedule (which isn't up and running to Santa Fe yet anyway). He has to fill up 2.5 times a week at $50 or more a tank. We spend around $7800 a year on gas. It is absolutely killing us and unfortunetly right now we cannot afford another car payment so he has to keep the vehicle he has. When we first moved to ABQ we knew we had to endure the cost of gas but at the time it was cheaper to pay for the gas than it was to buy a house in Santa Fe; now it's a close toss up.
- Tammy C from Albuquerque

It has actually taken away from my childrens mouths. being a single mother of three, i get no childsupport, and make more money than federal guidliness feel you should in order to quaily for any aid... I cant pull money from bills or we will land up with out light, gas, or water, or worst a roof over our heads so i have to pull from my kids mouth... WHATS NEXT????????????
- renee V from alcalde

I am working from home more days and making fewer errand runs.
- Felicia O from Los Alamos

Rising gas prices has affected me in many ways. I have to rethink if I really need to take that emergency trip to the grocery store for something I missed. I have started to carpool to work. I have also noticed that the cost of goods has also been affected.
- Adelaida D from Vadito

Though my husband and I drive already fuel-efficient cars, he commutes to Santa Fe on a daily basis. We use our excess income to pay off debt and now we are having to put less toward debt in order for him to put more toward the gas it takes to commute daily. We are excited for the implementation of the Rail Runner so that he can commute by train.
- Margaret O from Albuquerque

I live 20 miles from the nearest town. I can't just run there for one or two items. I try to save all my errands for a once-a-week trip. I also shop for some of my neighbors when I make the trip.
- Adele Z from Embudo

For a family of three who all drive, filling up the tanks has become more difficult. We now have to limit or reduce other things in order to come out ok financially each month. It has made me realize the importance of this natural resource. Although I have never been extravagant, I am now much more careful about how much I am driving. I plan trips around town to avoid unnecessary driving.
- Patrick R from Albuquerque

Not much personally because I am retired; but my neighbors own a small farm equipment business and a small trucking business and they have been hit by rising fuel costs to the point that they may cut back some of their activities. They employ 6 to 7 people who could loose their jobs.
- Candida B from Alcalde

I ride my bicycle everywhere I go to save money on gas, get exercise, and fight the war in Iraq.
- Francisco P from Santa Fe

The domino effect: Increased price of gasoline has driven up the cost of food and other commodities.
- Judith B from Albuquerque

I DON'T GO OUT OF TOWN TO VISIT MY PARENTS HAS OFTEN HAS I USED TO. I USED TO GO AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH NOW I GO ABOUT EVERY THREE MONTHS.
- from CAROL D in SANTA FE

1. It's made me think about moving - either into town from Eldorado or even to a city with significantly better public transportation than any city in New Mexico can provide. 2. It's made me very conscious to get as much "mileage" out of every trip to town, combining errands, lunch dates, and other events and avoiding single-purpose trips. 3. It's made me think about scaling down from my 28/35 mpg car and 11-year old Ford Ranger to one vehicle. 4. It's made me think about my investments and whether I'm doing enough to support the development and production of alternative energy, which led to an investment in wind power. 5. And as someone who has found road trips therapeutic over the 43+ years I've been driving, it makes me sad to think I will have to restrain myself from just getting in the car and driving without purpose.
- from Anne B in Santa Fe

it cost more to fill up
- ernie b from las cruces

It costs a lot more to see my hospice patients.
- David F from Santa Fe

I have a job that makes me commute 30 minutes almost everyday, and i drive a 1997 GMC Suburban. On average I get 16 miles per gallon. The rising gas prices have made me more conscious of how much i drive, which has limited my freedom. I don't get to get out and have fun much anymore. All of this has made me want a more economical car, but i haven't been able to afford one lately. The rising prices have also made me look at how I am affecting our planet. And a suburban is not exactly helping the environment. The prices are making me look at my life and realizing that I want a change.
- Sherisse S from Los Alamos

I live on $540 a month - what do you think??
- Debra S from Santa Fe

I no longer go to Albuquerque for doctors and shopping because it's too expensive to drive there and back. It's too expensive now to drive to see family and to visit other places in New Mexico. I've given up buying produce at the local farmer's market to help offset the high cost of gas. I'm on a fixed income and worried that gas will continue to go up. WIll I be able to afford to drive to do my daily chores?
- Jane a from santa fe

I've changed my whole lifestyle to reflect rising gas prices - riding my bike more often, driving less, carpooling more. I think we can take this hardship and turn it around, recognizing that we need to conserve and really keep not only our best interests in mind, but the needs of the environment and that we will exhaust our resources if we don't do something now. Thanks!
- DJ P from Albuquerque

GAS SUCKS! GREEN IS COOL!
- Danny O from Santa Fe

Public transportation in Santa Fe is terrible, and I leave in a part of town where it is practically non-existent. Since I am currently unemployed, the high cost of gas has rendered me practically homebound.
- Sandra H from Santa Fe

I have retired my vehicle in all cases except emergencies. I ride my bicycle to work and school, as well as to friends houses. My roommates and I occasionally go to concerts or parties in the evenings, in which case is it not entirely safe for four young girls to walk or ride bicycles. In these circumstances we will carpool. I rarely drive anywhere alone, only when visiting family out of town. My two best friends and I are attending a music festival in a few weeks in Chicago. We decided to travel by train to cut down on carbon emissions, as well as to save money; gas is so expensive that it might actually be cheaper to buy three train tickets than to take one vehicle holding three persons. Our train tickets altogether cost nine hundred dollars, in addition we will need to travel by bus when staying in Chicago. However, even adding all these expenses together might not equal the cost of gas to drive to and from such a far location. The rising cost of gas has affected me in many ways; it is more difficult to visit my family in Carlsbad, NM. I care about my family very much, and it is hard for me to only see them a couple times a year. Luckily, they are not too far away to conceivably visit them, but when gas prices continue to rise it will become more and more trying. Undoubtably, people across the nation will have to make sacrifices in order to cut down on gas usage. The rising price of gas could prove to be a blessing in disguise, as more Americans will hopefully lower their gas consumption, simultaneously decreasing their ecological footprints, living healthier lifestyles, and saving money.
- Ivy B from Albuquerque

$$$$$$$
- Mary Ellen B from Albuquerque

One of the benefits (one does try to stay positive) of rising gas prices is that I see people all around me making better decisions about how and when they use their cars. There's a new interest in the Rail Runner as a viable alternative to taking I-25 to Santa Fe, and mass transit is on the table as a subject of interest to Albuquerque's public. For myself, I'm bundling errands, working from home, and buying carbon offsets for my home and car. And I've just convinced a client up in the northern part of the state that he *really* wants to meet by phone, rather than paying for me to drive up there. Victory!
-Sophie M from Albuquerque

With gas so high, I try to ride my bike to work once or twice a week, risking life and limb to do so. I don't take my baby for a ride in the middle of the night when teething keeps her awake. I am sending more of my paycheck down my gas tank rather than giving my little extra cash to good organizations like I did before. My mother-in-law does not get as many breaks from raising my niece because it is so expensive to get her to Santa Fe. Mostly, my heart breaks for the people of the north who have never had all that much money, who have to work in Santa Fe to get by, and now see their tiny flexibility and opportunity diminished because they have to spend $70 to fill their tanks.
- Patrick S from Santa Fe

It has raised the price of plane tickets to see my family and it has raised my out of pocket costs for my job.
- Jeffrey Z from Albuquerque

Finally, people are forced to make change, as a trained urban planner, the elasticity of demand determines peoples choices i.e. I believe in public transit, but in NM you could NOT give it away, now it's difficult to find a seat on Park 'n Ride and a city bus --BRAVO!! Land use decisions and development is driven by the market. Now that gas prices are climbing and will continue to do so, it's possible smart development of mainstreet, downtown, and aging traditional neighborhoods will occur. But, what's more important than the cost of gas, to determine land use in arid New Mexico, is water. How rising gas costs determine my choices are 1) I consolidate my errands 2) I travel less on mini vacations (3 day weekends) 3) I volunteer less and 4) I will support the candidate in the general election who supports incentives for renewable and alternative energy research and development and questions why oil companies are making record profits and doesn't accept money from the fossil fuel industries.
- Lou B from Espanola

It has increased my anger over two oil executives running the White House for seven years and, just to feed their greed and egos, taken this country into the sewer. "We the people" are all the people who have to live on this planet together and prevent it from becoming poisoned and uninhabitable. Instead, the "oil cartel" insists on spewing its pollution to the detriment of individuals, other businesses, and no less than our national security.
- Allen S from Santa Fe

The rising gas prices are definitely cutting into our budget. We live at least a 30 mile roundtrip drive to Santa Fe. Housing for our family was just too expensive in Santa Fe. My husband drives 100 miles per day for his job. So yes many other things must be dropped to pay for gas. We have bought a car that gets much better gas mileage but not even the current hybrids would help enough. We keep our small suv at home if we can but need it on snowy winter roads. The time is long past to change dependency on oil but lets work harder on providing alternatives to all citizens.
- Lorraine G from Santa Fe

I live in Los Lunas and wok here also. With the high gas prices I had to switch vehicles with my husband because he drives to Intel everyday. Before we switched he was driving the didesel but prices have gone up so much I feel that all we are paying is for gas. I dont get paid very much but I have to be sure to set aside at least thirty dollars a week to give me hopefully half a tank. My husband has to put at least forty dollars to fill up but before Thursday he has to fill up again. I'm honestly tired of paying for gas and a new car would come in handy since we cant afford to move into Albuquerque or even buy a new vehicle, Honestly anything would come in handy at this point.
- Josette R from Los Lunas

very difficult to pay for the gas
- Dino R from Santa Fe

Yes!!!! In addition to the pain at the pump, gas prices have an impact on almost all other products and services. I'm lucky to live close to work (a conscious choice) but I am frustrated that I live in a city where walking to stores, entertainment, etc. is not an option. We should have made significant changes in energy policy and energy sources in the 70s but we quickly became complacent once the "gas crisis" resolved. Won't we ever learn?????
- Catharine F from Las Cruces

I'm a student in Albuquerque and I cannot afford to drive home to see my family. I've seen them only twice in the last year and only live 4 hours away.
- Johnn O from Las Cruces

They have given me hope that we may start to curb our appetite for fossil fuels.
- Larry G from Las Cruces

My commuting costs have more than doubled since 2002. For various reasons, I can't take a bus or carpool. I drive an energy-efficient car (40 mpg), but even so my gas expenses have gone from about $70 a month to nearly $200 for the same number of miles. Of course Steve Pearce won't do anything; he's making money hand over fist.
-Paula L from Santa Fe

I retired from teaching 6 years ago and have a 14 year old daughter and a mortgage to pay as a single dad. with rising fuel costs I dont see how I am able to pay for my daughter's college education. I happen to live 20 miles out side of town which makes it quite expensive to go into town to buy groceries and take my daughter to school and back. Ive had to use what savings I have till I start collecting social security. On top of that my propane tank fills cost over 300 a month during six months out of the year. So you can see gas prices sure has burned up my billfold and checkbook. Finally my retirement dreams of travel and visiting family and friends has been all shot to hell. It would be nice to have fuel prices drop, but then we be right back where we started. Im willing to sacrifice so my daughter can have a pollution free and alternative energy country. It would be very unwise to try to drill ourselves out ot this predicament we got ourselves into due to the election of Bush and his oil cronies. Id say lets elect Udall to the senate and Obama to the presidency. Our state and country needs to move forward with change for a better future. Johnny Robertson for Udall and Obama
- John R from Santa Fe

For a family of three who all drive, filling up the tanks has become more difficult. We now have to limit or reduce other things in order to come out ok financially each month. It has made me realize the importance of this natural resource. Although I have never been extravagant, I am now much more careful about how much I am driving. I plan trips around town to avoid unnecessary driving.
- Patrick R from Albuquerque

Only a little. I drive about 6000 miles a year. The cost of food is more affected for me.
- Allan C from Santa Fe

Just 2 months ago while traveling to Silver City, I felt bad for the residents of Deming and SilverCity for having to pay $3.72 per gallon, and most stations in Las Cruces were selling a gallonf for $3.49. This price hike has caused me to buy less at the grocery store, commute into town with friends or just stay home.
- John G from Las Cruces

I now take the train to work and bike to work once a week. Am considering changing my dentist, hair dresser, etc. to a business that is on a bus line or closer to where I live or work.
- karen d from Albuquerque