Coalition looks to curb oil dependence

Coalition looks to curb oil dependence

by Greg Harman
Hometown News (Florida)
March 31, 2006

MELBOURNE - The use of fossil fuels for transportation in the United States has been compared by some, including President George Bush, to an addiction.

Experts say this addiction has compromised our country's economy, environment and security.

But one alternative a group of lobbyists has proposed features a radical set of policies and requirements, which is designed to gradually curb the country's insatiable thirst for oil.

The lobbying group recently met at the Florida Institute for technology in Melbourne to discuss the benefits of the proposal.

Deron Lovaas, oil security campaign director for the Natural Resources Defense Council, told an audience at F.I.T. about the group's plan to steer our country, which accounts for 51 percent of the world's oil consumption, away from fossil fuels.

The lobbying group is a composite of very different sections of society, including neo-conservatives, environmentalists, religious conservatives, labor officials and business executives. But they all see serious trouble ahead for the country unless we curb our reliance on oil.

"About 68 percent of the fuel we consume is for travel," Mr. Lovaas said. " Our country currently uses only about three percent alternative energies, which means our nation is now 97 percent dependant on oil. We use about 20.5 million barrels a day - that's nearly 1000 barrels per second."

He said the effects of this heavy consumption are far-reaching.

"First of all, we produce only about 8.9 billion barrels per day from sources in our country. It's projected we will be importing 70 percent of our oil from other countries if we don't change our path," Mr. Lovaas said. "We're sending a heck of a lot of our dollars to other countries. Oil imports account for about one-third of our trade deficit."

The effects also spread into the realm of the environment.

"Burning oil releases carbon dioxides, the so-called greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere," Mr. Lovaas said. "Whether you believe global warming is real or not, there are some signs that can't be ignored. There has definitely been a warming trend over the past 20 years. Since 1979, 20 percent of the polar ice cap has melted."

He said global warming would most likely have several effects on the day-to-day lives of Americans, including more infectious disease, loss of certain plant and animal species and habitats, along with increased cycles of severe weather.

Mr. Lovaas said dependence on foreign oil has also put America in a precarious political situation.

"We import about half of our oil from OPEC nations," he said. "Most of those countries are politically unstable countries in the Middle East, Nigeria and Venezuela." Many of those countries have interests that are hostile to the United States, he said.

"Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said he is not scared to use fuel as an economic weapon," Mr. Loovas said. "We know about the problems we're having in Iraq. Iran, which has been very critical of U.S. policies, literally has us over a barrel."

Americans for Informed Democracy recommends a three-step plan for oil independence.

"First, we need to make more efficient use of fuels, including hybrid vehicles," Mr. Lovaas said. "This would create tax credits to many of the car manufacturers to produce cars that run on alternative fuels. These credits would increase choice for Americans interested in purchasing these autos. It would also tend to get the auto industry onboard. They, along with the oil industry, have been the biggest opposition to previous alternative fuel plans."

The country's second step would be an increase in the types of fuel available at service stations, including making a requirement that all stations carry pumps that dispense ethanol.

"That's what President Bush was talking about when he made statements about using 'switch grass' to make fuel in his State of the Union speech," Mr. Lovaas said. "Ethanol fuels are made from the cellulose of plants, and they burn much cleaner. We can grow the fuel ourselves. We need to require automakers to produce vehicles that can run on ethanol, and we have to have it readily available for consumers."

The third and final step would be to increase research and development on transit systems, which Mr. Lovaas said need to be made more convenient and attractive as an alternative means of travel.

Such technology already exists and is currently being widely utilized in other countries. He said Brazil implemented these types of innovations in the 1970s, and they have been successful ever since.

Mr. Lovaas said these recommendations are currently contained in proposed legislation before the U.S. Congress under the titles Senate Bill 2025 and House Resolution 4409. The new legislation is the result of a serious bipartisan effort, which Mr. Lovass finds unusual for the times.

"The mix of the congressmen who sponsored this legislation ranges from conservative to liberal, which is strange because the political environment is very polarized in Washington right now," Mr. Lovaas said. "This is a big challenge, and it will take the equivalent of a Marshall Plan to get these changes made. But if we put the pedal to the medal, we can do it