Baltimore – A comprehensive strategy to get off oil can reduce oil dependence in Maryland by one billion gallons, equal to over twice the amount currently imported from the Middle East, according to a new report released today by Environment Maryland.
“It is time to declare our independence from oil,” said Foster Hardiman, Clean Cars Organizer at Environment Maryland.
“The cost of our oil dependence has grown out of control, from the outrageous price we pay at the pump, to the pollution of the air that we breathe, to catastrophic accidents like the Gulf Oil Spill and our contribution to global warming. Today’s report shows how we can get Maryland closer to the day when we will no longer fear the impact of Big Oil on our paychecks, our environment, and public health,” added Hardiman.
The policies recommended in the report include setting fuel efficiency standards that make 60-mpg cars the norm by 2025, doubling access to public transportation, and enacting policies to encourage telecommuting, smart growth, and biking and walking.
“A hundred years of energy and transportation policies that favor Big Oil companies have made our country deeply dependent on their dirty and dangerous product,” said Hardiman. “Breaking their grip over our country is going to take time and the sustained commitment of policymakers and advocates, which is why we need to start now.
State legislators and small business leaders echoed Environment Maryland’s call to action to reduce oil consumption.
Delegate Dana Stein, representing Maryland’s 11th state legislative district in the Maryland House of Delegates, said, “It is essential - for national security, environmental, and financial reasons - that we reduce our dependence on oil. Two key ways we can do this are to increase fuel economy standards for cars and promote the use of electric vehicles.”
Environment Maryland called on leaders at both the state and federal level to enact comprehensive plans to reduce oil consumption. Last week, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley from Oregon led a group of Senators in introducing the “Oil Independence for a Stronger America Act.”
Hardiman concluded the release saying, “Across the political spectrum, Maryland residents understand the importance of getting the state off oil. Working together, we can put this country on the path to independence from oil and create a country that is cleaner, stronger, and healthier than ever before.”
4 comments:
Why don't they drill oil in MD and sell cheap gas to the citizens while they spend the profits on developing alternative energy solutions?
yeah, we keep buying overseas at a crazy SPECULATIVE price. how about we get the MEGAZILLION supply right from South Dakato that the government is barring from us having, and this whole $ problem goes away. by moving from one "oil dependency" to another "dependency" of travel, we are still dependent........ DUH, the money cost will still be there, cause the energy to move people X amount of miles is the same as in a car. energy is energy in a general sense. whether it is nuclear or gas or oil or wind, energy is energy, the only thing we can do is help LOWER the cost. that STARTS right on our own seashores.
These libtards will never get it. the best alternative to foreign oil is domestic oil!
Are you people slow or something? Oil is sold on the WORLD MARKET. Actual and perceived levels of supply and demand, whether the supply is domestic or foreign, is what drives the price of oil.
Not to mention, the "drill baby drill" crew seems to always overlook the fact that we are in the top 3 or 4 in world oil production, yet even when we were closer to #1, we still had to import more oil than any other country. Obviously supply is not the issue.
IF you guys say we spend too much, not tax too little, then it should be obvious that we use too much oil, not fail to produce enough.
Post a Comment