As the new home of Florida PIRG's environmental work,
Environment Florida can be contacted with any questions regarding this news release.
“America is addicted to oil.”
--President George W. Bush, Statue of the Union, 1-31-06
“The long-term solution is to get off oil.”
--President George W. Bush, Bloomberg News, 4-10-06
President Bush and Congress can reduce our dependence on oil and help stop global warming by taking these actions:
•
Require cars and trucks to go farther on a gallon of gas. According to
the National Academy of Sciences, currently available technology can
make cars and trucks nearly double their gas mileage to an average of
40 mpg within a decade without reducing the size, power, or variety of
cars available to consumers.
• Adopt nation-wide limits on global warming pollution to ensure we prevent the worst impacts of global warming.
• Move away from oil by requiring a minimum amount of farm-based bio-fuels.
•
Maintain strong protections against drilling off our beautiful coasts.
Given the benefits of renewable energy and increasing energy
efficiency, we should not drill off our beaches.
•
Stop efforts to include in the federal budget a provision to open the
pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. The Refuge
would provide less than a year’s worth of oil and would take ten years
to get to market.
•
Save taxpayers money by repealing the $13.1 billion in tax breaks for
the oil, coal and gas industry included in the Energy Bill of 2005.
• Reduce the amount we drive by increasing the federal investment in public transportation.
• Help consumers buy more fuel efficient cars by expanding tax credits for the most fuel efficient vehicles.
•
Restore states’ rights to regulate automobile fuel economy standards.
Some of the most far-reaching energy solutions are being pioneered in
the states. The federal law blocking states from requiring cars to get
better gas mileage should be eliminated.
Americans can reduce our dependence on oil and help stop global warming by taking these actions ourselves:
• Reduce the number of miles driven weekly by combining trips, walking or biking when possible, or carpooling with friends.
•
When shopping for an automobile, look for high efficiency hybrid
vehicles, and shop for appliances with the Energy Star label to reduce
home energy use.
•
Call your representative and senators and ask them to support real
action to reduce our oil dependence and stop global warming.
