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Extension of Dual-Fuel Loophole to Increase Oil Consumption by 40-100 Million Barrels

Source: American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, February 18, 2004 The Bush Administration today extended for four years a policy that increases U.S. oil consumption by allowing auto manufacturers to gain fuel economy credits for making vehicles that can run on ethanol, but rarely do. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) estimates that extension of the "dual-fueled vehicle" loophole in the federal fuel economy ("CAFE") program will cause the United States to consume an extra 40-110 million barrels of oil in 2005-2008. "It's like putting an extra half-million new cars on the road each year," said Transportation Program Director Therese Langer. "This move helps to ensure that our reliance on oil imports will continue to rise." The dual-fuel credit arose from efforts in the late 1980s to increase the use of alternative fuels by ensuring the existence of a vehicle population that could use these fuels. In 1999, production of vehicles that can run on either E85 (an 85% ethanol blend) or gasoline soared as automakers took advantage of the credit to meet their fuel economy targets. There are now over three million E85-capable vehicles on the road, but less than 1% of the fuel consumed by these […]

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European Cities May Be Required to Adopt Sustainable Development Plans

BRUSSELS, Belgium, February 18, 2004 (ENS) – Europe's 500 largest towns and cities could be required to adopt sustainable urban transport plans and environmental management plans backed by an environmental management system, the European Commission said on Monday. Such a move would extend the European Union's reach into the sphere of land use planning that has traditionally been led by the individual European countries. In many European cities, poor air quality, noise, heavy traffic, neglect of the built environment, poor environmental management and a lack of strategic planning have led to a lower quality of life, health problems and premature deaths, the Commission says. Cities also have a considerable impact on the environment, producing large volumes of greenhouse gases, air pollution and waste, and consuming large amounts of resources. "As 80 percent of EU citizens live in towns and cities, it is very important to improve the quality of urban life," said Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstrom, announcing the strategy. "Pollution, noise, heavy traffic and many other environmental problems are concentrated here. Meeting environmental targets and objectives is vital to making cities healthy places to live in. This is why we need a coordinated and coherent strategy," she said. "I am […]

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Weekly Clean Energy Roundup:February 18, 2004

*News and Events Dow Installs a 75-Kilowatt GM Fuel Cell, Earns DOE Kudos Engineers Find Economical Way to Make Hydrogen from Ethanol New Hampshire Slated to Earn Ethanol Exemption; California Wants In Natural-Gas and Hybrid-Electric Cars Top Green List Five Power Companies Commit to Clean Energy, Cap Greenhouse Gases Florida Power & Light Launches Green Power Program Dow Installs a 75-Kilowatt GM Fuel Cell, Earns DOE KudosDow Chemical Company began drawing on a 75-kilowatt fuel cell to help power its Texas Operations site in Freeport, Texas, on February 10th. The fuel cell, manufactured by General Motors Corporation (GM), marks the first concrete step in a Dow-GM fuel cell collaboration first announced in May 2003. Dow produces the hydrogen fuel for the fuel cell as a byproduct of its chemical manufacturing process; currently, Dow either burns the hydrogen in its boilers or sells it to industrial gas companies. Although the new installation is a test that will last four to six months, with more fuel cells to be added this summer, Dow and GM plan to eventually install 35 megawatts of fuel cells. That would meet two percent of the power needs for Dow’s Texas Operations site, which is Dow’s largest […]

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