Drive Beyond Oil

Hybrids fuel profits

So Congress is still squabbling over legislation, delaying its coveted summer break for the month of August. One of the bills that awaits passage in the House is the energy bill -- minus much-needed fuel economy language.

It's a shame -- and a surprise -- that the big auto industry opposes improving fuel economy to 35 miles per gallon. After all, Toyoto is proving that profits await those auto makers who sell cars and trucks that average more miles per gallon of gas.

As today's Washington Post story points out, Toyota just earned its highest quarterly profit ever -- and is still on pace to pass General Motors as the world's No. 1 automaker this year. The reason? According to the article, "High gas prices have helped Toyota as drivers flock to its fuel-efficient models."

Check out the story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/03/AR2007080301833.html

After having spent the past week on our Drive Beyond Oil tour, cruising through Ohio and West Virginia in a Toyota Highlander hybrid SUV, I'm a believer!!

Uh Oh

More bad news for Detroit...The first line of the Associated Press story says it all.

'The Detroit automakers' share of the U.S. market dropped below 50 percent for the first time in history.'

Mansfield News Journal

MANSFIELD -- The three young men in the shiny silver SUV tooling around Central Park Wednesday afternoon were on a road trip. But this trio didn't include ballparks or beaches.

They were part of the Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund's "Drive Beyond Oil Tour." It's a campaign to rally public support for higher fuel economy standards as the House prepares to vote on an energy bill by the end of the week. The Senate passed an energy bill June 21 that includes a 35 mpg standard by 2020.

Starting July 24 in Maryland, the Toyota Highland Hybrid stopped in Richland County as part of a five-state tour sponsored by the fund, an affiliate of the environmental action organization Natural Resources Defense Council.

Wearing T-shirts declaring "35 MPG OR BUST," Rob Perks, John Grant and Scott Laeser fanned out across the downtown square. They offered statistics about what more miles to the gallon would mean in terms of personal savings and potential jobs. They also had available cell phones so people could call their congressional representatives on the spot and urge them to vote for stronger mileage standards.

Noting that while they did have trouble renting the hybrid SUV in Ohio, Perks stressed that they were not shilling for Toyota.

"We're not talking about flying cars," he said. "We're talking about stuff that's here now."

Laeser said Toyota surpassed the 1 million mark in hybrid sale in June.

Popping the hood, Grant said the Highlander has a gas and electric engine that allows it to use electric power at low speeds for better fuel economy.

Perks said reports from the Union of Concerned Scientists and the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute along, with an NRDC report, "Addicted to Oil: Ranking States' Oil Vulnerability to Change," tout the effect higher fuel economy standards on Detroit automakers while saving energy and protecting the environment.

"Our latest research shows Ohio is in trouble," Perks said. "Not enough is being done to address oil dependence in the state and that is going to hurt the neediest. What Ohio needs is leadership on this issue and voting for the new House energy bill is a pretty good start."

He said fuel economy standards being sought are an average, acknowledging not all vehicles will meet them but it would be beneficial on numerous fronts to "do better."

Delphine Smith took Grant up on his cell phone offer while traveling from Detroit with husband Daryl Smith and sons Robert and Terrence. Did she hesitate to call her congressman?

"No, we commute," the former banker turned full-time homemaker said. "Gas prices. We just don't understand it."

Daryl said they spent $56 on gas to drive to Mansfield and would be going on to King's Island. "That's another $50."

Perks coached Chuck George of Mansfield during his call to U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, who represents the 4th Congressional District, which includes Mansfield. George said he doesn't drive but reported the price of gas has prevented people from out of town from coming to see him.

"We are waiting to see what the final version of the bill is," said Ray Yonkura, Jordan's chief of staff.

He said Jordan favors alternative fuels, and feels they should be part of a natural energy strategy. Yonkura said debate on the issue has caused a lot of good ideas to come together but that he's unsure what the final bill will look like because so many changes have taken place.

Driving Beyond Tired

At 7:41 pm last night in Wheeling, West Virginia, the cell phone rang. On the line was Karen Wayland, our legislative director, telling us: "Come on home, boys." And so ended our nearly two-week, 2,000-mile trek through four states spreading the message: '35 MPG or Bust.'

Turns out that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) decided late yesterday not to include a fuel-economy measure in the House energy legislation. That bill is expected to pass tomorrow without CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy). While Rep. Pelosi expressed strong support for raising fuel-economy standards to 35 miles per gallon, she declined to allow either of the two competing House bills to come up for a vote. The bill we favor, the so-called Markey-Platts bill, would save consumers the most money, save the most oil, and substantially reduce global warming pollution. The opposing bill championed by the auto industy, the so-called Hill-Terry bill, offers much more modest goals that won't make our cars go far enough or fast enough on a gallon of gas.

But the fight is not over. Remember that the Senate passed its own energy bill containing a very favorable fuel economy measure. Most people expect that similar standards will be added to the House energy bill when the two chambers meet during August recess to reconcile their respective legislation. If that doesn't happen, then it's likely that fuel economy will be considered again when Congress takes up global warming legislation in the Fall.

In any case, we consider our Drive Beyond Oil barn-storming tour a rousing success. We drove our hybrid SUV through small towns and large cities all over Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. We educated countless people about the importance of stronger fuel economy, and more important, many of them took action by calling and urging their member of Congress to support '35 mpg or bust!" And our trip generated amazing media coverage, including dozens of radio, television and newspaper stories.

In fact, the coverage didn't end until this morning when I did a radio interview with the #1 talk radio show in Columbus, Ohio. After arriving home from Wheeling at 2 am last night, I just hope my interview made sense!

I believe there is a very good chance that Congress will listen to the will of the people and act soon to strengthen federal fuel economy standards for cars and trucks. If not, then we may be revving up the hybrid for another tour through key congressional districts -- so get ready, America!

But for now, let me share the Top 10 things the team learned on our road trip:

10. Nobody thinks gas prices are too low.

9. People are still confused about hybrids. (Do you plug them in?)

8. The 1908 Ford Model T averaged the same mileage as new cars today: 25 mpg.

7. Snazzy t-shirts and car magnets always draw a crowd.

6. Small town America is alive and well.

5. Ironically, Hummers are always shiny and clean. (What's the point?)

4. Wireless connection is more important than food.

3. Blogging is easy and fun.

2. Never understimate the power of citizen phone calls to Congress.

And the #1 thing we learned...

1. It takes a village to Drive Beyond Oil  (Special thanks to the entire NRDC Action Fund team!) 

Give me 35 mpg or Give me Death!

Apologies to Patrick Henry for paraphrasing his famous quote, but we want liberty from high gas prices and oil addiction, and 35 mpg will help us achieve it.

Today, we stopped in Bridgeport, Ohio, and Wheeling, West Virginia, home of Representatives Charlie Wilson and Alan Mollohan.  We scored two interviews in the Ohio River Valley with channels 7 and 9 that will be airing on the 11 o'clock news.   

We also stopped by Representative Wilson's funeral home, pictured at right.  It was a beautiful building just a stone's throw from the Ohio River, and it was symbolic of what needs to happen to the legislation he has cosponsored.  Representative Wilson is a co-sponsor of the Hill Terry Bill, a weak bill backed by the auto industry that meets lower targets at later dates than the legislation offered by Representative Markey.  The strongest fuel economy legislation will save us 2.5 times more oil than the weak bill and will save consumers billions more dollars at the gas pump.

We know Representative Wilson supports fuel economy legislation, but the people in his district want him to support the strongest possible standards, not the weak measure backed by the auto industry.  It's time for ALL members of Congress to support the bill that will put us on a real path to reducing our dependence on foreign oil and saving consumers money.

Like the people we've met on the road, you can help by calling your Representative NOW and asking him or her to support H.R. 1506, the Fuel Economy Reform Act:  202-224-3121

Last Place?

Wow.

This is why we're on this road trip.

While oil prices are reaching historic highs, a new study shows where the United States is in terms of fuel economy - dead last.

In a survey of eight countries, we're pulling up the rear.

Even China has better fuel economy standards...

Fuel Economy's Top Gun

This morning, the DBO crew toured the Battelle Institute. Directly adjacent to the campus of THE Ohio State University in Columbus, Battelle is a non-profit institute dedicated to advancing the sciences in both education and research.

Our tour guide at Battelle was Admiral Dennis McGinn (ret.), former commander of the U.S. Navy's Atlantic fleet, test pilot of the F-18, and energy advocate.

Why would a man with Adm. McGinn's credentials be concerned with fuel economy? It's quite simple, really. Adm. McGinn believes that America's dependence on oil is a national security threat - by depending on oil from unstable regions of the world, we are empowering rogue nations and dictators who use America's addiction to oil as a weapon against us.

Admiral McGinn is a strong supporter of the Fuel Economy Reform Act because cars and trucks that use less gas are the quickest, fastest, cheapest way to break America's addiction to oil.

You don't need to have Adm. McGinn's national security expertise to know that stronger fuel economy is a win-win for America.
Remember to call YOUR member of Congress at 202-224-3121 and tell them that America needs the strongest possible fuel economy legislation.

35 mpg or bust!

Moving America Beyond Oil One Vehicle at a Time... Or Not

While Hummers (with or without magnets) will never help America Move Beyond Oil, the article below in the Warren Tribune Chronicle will hopefully motivate Representative Tim Ryan to go the distance and support legislation that gets us to 35 mpg by 2018.

35 MPG or bust team helps with calls to Congress

By STEPHEN ORAVECZ

Tribune Chronicle

Frustrated with high gas prices, Gene Cheredar of Champion put in a call to his congressman Monday.

He was one of several people who put in similar calls as three members of the NRDC Action Fund's "35 MPG or Bust" team stopped in Warren. They are on a two-week, three-state road trip trying to build support for the tougher of two competing bills calling for higher fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks.

Congress is set to vote on the issue this week.

After an earlier stop Monday in Youngstown, the environmentalists drove their Toyota Highlander Hybrid to Perkins Park, where the PONY softball tournament games were under way. It gets more than 30 mpg and is used to show people they donát have to give up size to get good mileage.

Scott Laeser approached Cheredar and asked him what he thought of the cost of gas. While prices are down lately, Laeser noted they are higher than they were a year ago.

After Cheredar expressed his frustration, Laeser pointed to his 35 mpg or bust shirt and talked up advantages of higher fuel economy rules.

"Sounds great," Cheredar said. Laeser was ready with a cell phone and Cheredar put in the call to Rep. Timothy J. Ryan asking him to back the tougher of the two bills.

"I just feel prices are way out of line, and oil companies are taking advantage of the people," Cheredar said.

Lynne Huerta of Pennsylvania put in a call saying improved fuel economy would save money for her, especially since she travels "all of the place for softball."

Rob Perks of the NRDC Action Fund, which is affiliated with the National Resources Defense Council, said the higher standards would save Ohio drivers more than $1 billion. Citing reports that say the technology already exists to meet the tougher standards, Perks said Ohio is particularly vulnerable to higher gas prices based on the amount of their income they must spend on fuel.

An NRDC report released earlier this month said also said Ohio is among the 10 states doing the least to reduce dependence on oil.

Not everyone called their congressman. One man from New York said he had doubts because he had heard the tough standards might result in fewer jobs. The team's usual response that Detroit said it couldn't comply with mandates to install seat belts in all vehicles or to use catalytic converters wasn't enough to convince the man to support the tougher bill.

That is the stand Ryan, D-Niles, has taken. While the Senate has approved a bill that calls for a corporate average of 35 mpg by 2020, Ryan is co-sponsor of a rival bill that would raise standards to 32 mpg by 2022. Other local congressmen  (Steven C. LaTourette, R-Concord, and Charlie Wilson, D-Bridgeport) mirror Ryan's position.

Spokesman Brad Bauman said last week that Ryan feels he is making a responsible choice for the environment and the autoworkers in his district.

Despite Ryan's opposition, the team of environmentalist set off for Akron and Kent, hoping to get more people to call Ryan's office.

While we still have wireless...

Before we head south to Columbus, here are a couple quick headlines worth inspecting.

From the Wall Street Journal: Higher Oil Prices Help OPEC Set Revenue Record

Also, oil futures settled at a record high today.

If we adopt a 35 mpg standard, by 2018, we'll save 1.6 million barrels of oil a day, roughly the same amount that we import from Saudi Arabia every single day.

Hot Rods vs. Hybrids

The 1908 Ford Model T averaged 25 miles per gallon. Amazingly, that's about what new cars average today!

This roadster -- a 1932 Ford Coupe -- doesn't even meet that paltry mileage. The owner told me his hot rod averages less than 20 mpg. Ouch!

If given the choice between our snazzy hybrid SUV and the Coupe, I'm pretty sure I know which one my son, Brooks, would rather drive. But he's 7 years old. By the time he gets his driver's license I'm guessing he'll be more appreciate of the importance of saving money at the pump.

If Congress votes the right way on fuel efficiency, cars and trucks will average 35 mpg by 2019 -- just when Brooks will be in the market for his first car.

Too bad for him that Hot Rods definitely won't be an option.