Soaring oil prices have sparked bitter political sparring over how to handle the energy crunch in France, even as environmentalists press European nations to search for more environmentally healthy alternatives. On Tuesday, French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin convened a Cabinet round table to discuss ways to lighten the oil-price load, which has sent the cost of a full tank of premium gas soaring to a staggering $69 in France. French drivers pay roughly 16 percent more for gas than the year before. Indeed, pump prices jumped 7.5 percent in June alone, compared to the previous month, news reports said. In remarks to the media following the ministerial meeting Tuesday, de Villepin rejected proposals by the Socialist opposition for a cut in gas taxes, but said some of the fiscal revenue would be redistributed to French most hurt by price hike, along with employers and French workers. He also called for a greater push toward fuel-efficient and hybrid vehicles, and said France would be ever more reliant on its nuclear plants for generating electricity.
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