Deron Lovaas's Blog
Fed up with gas prices? Using less of it is the cure
June 19, 2007
Posted by Deron Lovaas in Moving Beyond Oil
A new Quinnipiac University poll finds that Americans are actually changing their habits due to high prices. 58 percent of Americans say they have "cut back significantly" no their driving. Unfortunately, another recent poll finds that our fellow citizens are unaware of the tiny size of our domestic oil supply: More than 55 percent mistakenly believe the U.S. holds more than 20 percent of the world's reserves. The real number? A paltry three percent.
That means that the most realistic way to get prices under control is not to boost supply, which is in the hands of other countries such as Iran and Venezuela but to save oil by raising fuel economy standards substantially for the first time in decades and use of transportation alternatives that use less oil.
One of the best choices is to use public transit, such as light rail, if it's available in your town. And this Thursday is a great day to do so, because it's the second annual "Dump the Pump" day organized by the American Public Transportation Association. Taking transit on Thursday won't just mean skipping the traffic, it'll make a statement!
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- Deron Lovaas
- Vehicles Campaign Director
- Washington, D.C.
- I joined NRDC after working for several other conservation groups and Maryland's Environment Department. I...
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