For most other technologies I would say that the government should just stand aside and let private business and industry lead the way. It's worked for the internet so far, and non-government standardization bodies like the IEEE and ISO have done a pretty good job of making things work. But in this instance the government needs to mandate foreign oil and natural gas independence. Not just by setting a date and saying this is when you'll stop using petroleum, but by working with the industries that use petrochemicals and funding research to develop alternatives. Oil isn't just used for fuel, it is also the feedstock for synthetic plastics, pharmaceuticals, food additives, fertilizers and pesticides, and half a million other things we can't live without. Just switching the transportation industry over to ethanol or battery electric power won't solve this problem (though it would be a big step in the right direction). So alternative synthetic chemical feedstocks need to be developed as well.
This isn't about the environment or about reducing fuel costs, it's about national security. To that end the government must work with the oil companies or else they'll oppose this transition at every turn. It can't be helped if doing so will raise a stink with Greenpeace or whoever; if the oil companies aren't part of the solution then they're part of the problem and they must be invited to participate.
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