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In order to improve this situation, the report recommends that states promote cleaner and more efficient fuels, enact smart growth policies, and fund public transit. Of course, even if Texas takes these steps immediately, the suburban sprawl and massive highway system we've spent the past fifty years building will continue to make it difficult to wean ourselves from oil. But as expensive as investments in public transportation and alternative fuels can be, they won't be as costly as continuing to build and maintain more highways and suburban developments. Better public transportation, in particular, might be the best investment we could make. A March report from the USPIRG Education group shows that over the long term, highways require more government subsidies than public transportation, even though the initial costs for public transportation are higher. High gas prices cut into money we'd rather spend on food, rent, and entertainment, but they might motivate us to invest in better policies and technologies. (Just ask T. Boone Pickens.)