When I was 9 years old, my parents loaded me and my siblings into the family station wagon headed west from Massachusetts. We spent the whole summer visiting the beautiful parks around the country and visiting far-flung extended family. I remember hiking the Grand Canyon and crossing the Mohave Desert sitting on black vinyl seats without air conditioning. Ouch.
After college, I kept traveling. As an engineering officer on a Navy cruiser, I got hands-on experience with large propulsion plants and energy systems. On bridge watches, I was awed by vastness, power and tranquil beauty of the ocean. After the navy, I joined a software company for a while but grew restless for a focus on environmental stewardship and I returned to school to study environmental policy-making.
Since joining NRDC in 2004, I’ve been focused on the environmental impact of our mobility. I am working on ways to promote cleaner and more efficient car and truck technologies so that as we and future generations travel to visit the earth’s beautiful places in the future, they are still there to see.
Posted April 25, 2013 by Luke Tonachel in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment
A broad group of citizens and other stakeholders are calling on the U.S. EPA to act now to reduce smog pollution caused by cars and light trucks. In Philadelphia on April 24th, EPA heard resounding support as it began...continued→
Posted March 29, 2013 by Luke Tonachel in Curbing Pollution, Moving Beyond Oil
In a step forward that will help Americans breathe easier, the U.S. EPA today proposed long-awaited standards to clean up gasoline and cut smog-forming pollution from cars and light trucks. Now the EPA should complete the process of making the...continued→
Posted March 15, 2013 by Luke Tonachel in Living Sustainably, Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming
New cars and trucks are poised to set new records in fuel efficiency according to the latest Fuel Economy Trends report from the EPA. When all the data is crunched, EPA expects the model year 2012 average to reach 23.8...continued→
Posted January 30, 2013 by Luke Tonachel in Curbing Pollution, Living Sustainably
New polling demonstrates strong public support for tighter standards on gasoline and car tailpipes to reduce smog and other pollutants. The poll results bolster the calls from a diverse set of interests in business, health and environmental communities for the...continued→
Posted January 10, 2013 by Luke Tonachel in Curbing Pollution, Living Sustainably
We can and should have cleaner-burning gasoline and less smog pollution from cars. It’s time for the Administration to strengthen existing standards to clean our air and protect our health. On January 9th, NRDC joined a diverse group of stakeholders,...continued→
Posted December 19, 2012 by Luke Tonachel in Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming
Looking forward to 2013, I see good news for new car buyers. Showrooms will have an unprecedented number of fuel-efficient models of both the gasoline and electric varieties. Plug-in electric vehicles are set to reach new records for sales and...continued→
Posted November 29, 2012 by Luke Tonachel in Curbing Pollution
Reducing smog pollution from automobiles is critical for ensuring Americans breathe clean air. The U.S. EPA has the tools, in the form of tighter tailpipe and gasoline standards, for cleaning the air and the agency should use them. That is...continued→
Posted November 21, 2012 by Luke Tonachel in Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming
The company that brought American consumers the heavyweight Hummer SUVs, as well as the maker of the perennially best-selling truck in the U.S. are both “getting religion” on the benefits of manufacturing its vehicles to be lighter in weight. In...continued→
Posted October 31, 2012 by Luke Tonachel in Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming
2012 is the greenest new automobile fleet ever. Preliminary data for model year 2012, which ended with September, show that new records have been set for fleetwide average fuel economy and the sales of hybrids and plug-in electric vehicles. Dealer...continued→
Posted October 5, 2012 by Luke Tonachel in Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming
The latest national auto industry employment figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) today show what has been apparent for virtually all of 2012: the American auto industry is roaring back from the 2008-9 recession in a major...continued→
Posted October 2, 2012 by Luke Tonachel in Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming, U.S. Law and Policy
While Denver, Colorado is hosting the first presidential election debate, the hot topic of jobs will likely focus on states like Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, the center of the domestic auto industry. The recovery of auto manufacturing jobs is a...continued→
Posted August 28, 2012 by Luke Tonachel in Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming, U.S. Law and Policy
Today, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized new automobile standards that reach the equivalent of 54.5 mpg in 2025. Let’s take a look at the final numbers and what this historic achievement means...continued→
Posted August 21, 2012 by Luke Tonachel in Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming
With landmark new automobile fuel efficiency standards expected to be released this month, NRDC teamed up with the BlueGreen Alliance to provide a state-by-state breakdown of projected jobs created, fuel saved by consumers and carbon pollution avoided. The results are...continued→
Posted July 17, 2012 by Luke Tonachel in Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming, U.S. Law and Policy
The U.S. House of Representatives is preparing to vote next week on measures that would stop progress on new automobile efficiency and pollution standards. Under standards that are scheduled to be finalized this summer, new cars would get double the...continued→
Posted June 26, 2012 by Luke Tonachel in Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming
The connection may not seem obvious but improving the miles per gallon of our cars spurs job creation. This is for two reasons: (1) improving automobile efficiency requires the addition of new technologies, which are designed and manufactured by adding...continued→
Switchboard is the staff blog of the Natural Resources Defense Council, the nation’s most effective environmental group. For more about our work, including in-depth policy documents, action alerts and ways you can contribute, visit NRDC.org.
