President Bush is finally getting the message that gas is too expensive and people are concerned about spending more per gallon.

In an effort to show people he is concerned with something Americans have been worried about for months, Bush announced Tuesday a slew of new proposals to help lower the price of gas.

Some of those ideas include good initiatives, such as encouraging gas companies to take some of the billions of dollars they are making and invest it in alternative fuels research. Bush's plan to combat high gas prices also includes a proposal to direct the Environmental Protection Agency to suspend rules on clean-burning gasoline.

It's great that Bush is finally understanding that people are peeved about sometimes having to pay more than $3 per gallon.

But he's a little late getting on the wagon.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm has been talking about high gas prices and the effect they have on businesses and consumers for a while now.

There's currently a petition on the Michigan government Web site urging residents to ask Bush to give consumers relief.

But Bush, who has been talking about reducing America's dependence on foreign oil since January's State of the Union address, finally is taking action.

It's great that he wants companies, such as Exxon Mobile Corp., that make billions of dollars off us, to start investing in alternative fuels.

After all, huge gas companies are enjoying big profits while consumers, small businesses and smaller gas companies are feeling the burn.

These companies should be spending some of their profits on helping America get off foreign oil, and Bush needs to get tough with gas companies about prices.

It might be the unpopular thing to do since many Republicans dislike interfering with business at all.

But Bush can have a huge impact by making it clear this is something he's concerned about and isn't going to keep giving huge gas companies everything they want, such as tax breaks.

Bush needs to make the most of his experience with gas companies before he goes after the environment.

Suspending rules about cleaner-burning gasoline might make gas cheaper for a little while, but we need to be thinking about the long-term impact of gasoline pollution.

Most of these proposals and initiatives aren't going to have an immediate effect on consumers.

We're going to spend a lot of money on going where we need to go before we ever see the impact of Bush's plan.

We can help ourselves by trying to reduce how far we drive, and bike and walk more.

In the meantime, Bush needs to demand more of large gas companies in terms of lowering prices.