In Arizona, state Department of Public Safety officers plan to pare back the number of miles they patrol along the highway. Officers have been ordered to trim their driving by 10 percent a month and conduct more enforcement through radar guns on freeway ramps, medians and overpasses.

In Michigan, Gov. Jennifer Granholm continues to use an SUV on official business — her family car is an economical Ford Focus — but she has increased the number of gas inspectors to watch out for potential gouging, Granholm spokeswoman Liz Boyd said.

Michigan has spent about $2.8 million more on fuel this year for state-owned vehicles and is putting together a task force to look at alternatives to travel for state employees. State workers are encouraged to fill up at state-owned bulk fuel tanks, which save about 6 cents a gallon.

"We're looking at every penny, every day trying to make sure we're most efficient," said Rose Wilson, who manages Michigan's fleet of 7,500 vehicles for the state Department of Management and Budget.

In Florida, officials are working to build an infrastructure for hydrogen power near Orlando, where a small fleet of buses and cars are being tested. State workers, meanwhile, are keeping the thermostat set in the low 80s and keeping the lights off to save electricity.

"Today's the first time I turned the lights on in my office in six weeks," Alan Bedwell, the deputy secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection, said in a phone interview on Wednesday.

In New Mexico, lawmakers convened in special session Thursday to consider nearly $100 million in proposals by the governor to help residents with high gas prices and home heating costs.

Richardson, who has drawn criticism in his home state for speeding in his SUV, said he recently negotiated to get the Escape hybrid, which has an advertised fuel economy of 31 mpg and 36 mpg. He said he hopes to get more energy-efficient vehicles for his security detail.

Many motorists will probably follow his — and other governors' — lead.

"High gas prices are going to revolutionize the way we drive and move our society to more fuel-efficient vehicles," Richardson said in an interview. "Unfortunately, it's taken a crisis of high gas prices to move us in that direction."

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Contributing: Glenn Adams and Martiga Lohn, Associated Press