BOSTON -- The price of gasoline is at record highs and only expected to continue climbing.

There are things each of us can do to conserve, and many Americans are driving less. However, there are also incentives federal and state government can offer to encourage the purchase of fuel-efficient cars--specifically hybrids. Hybrid cars run on a combination of gas and electric motors, with many getting more than 40 miles per gallon. They also produce less pollution.

But that technology is expensive and federal tax credits that helped offset the cost, while driving sales of hybrids, are now expiring. Here in Massachusetts, a proposed $2,000 tax credit has stalled, even though our neighbors in Connecticut have already waived the sales tax on many hybrids.

Worthy of accolades, private companies such as Bank of America and Timberland have offered cash rebates to employees who buy hybrids. Some auto insurers now offer discounts to hybrid owners. We can only hope more companies will step up to this green line.

To encourage more conservation, broader financial incentives work. The state Legislature should act quickly, and the federal government should bring back the tax credits that made a hybrid purchase more attractive and affordable in the first place.