President Obama, DOT on pathway to better energy future

Today, President Obama released his plan for America’s energy security, and DOT has a huge role to play.

The transportation sector accounts for two-thirds of the United States’ oil use and contributes one-third of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions.  After housing, transportation is the second biggest monthly expense for most American families.

As the President said, “In an economy that relies so heavily on oil, rising prices at the pump affect everybody.”

We have the opportunity, and the obligation, to take action.  We can change both the types and the amounts of energy that our transportation systems use while also creating good, high-paying jobs and easing everyone’s burden at the pump.

President Obama is right when he says that electric vehicles offer one solution.  They’re on the market, more are coming, and people are excited to buy them.  DOT has already awarded grants to develop charging stations across the country.

Through historic fuel economy standards, we’ve also made sure the gasoline-powered vehicles we’re accustomed to will run more efficiently and use less gas. That saves us all from spending a fortune to fill up.

Workers gather at South Carolina's Proterra, Inc, where they build all-electric transit buses

America’s high-speed rail program is one of the biggest green jobs efforts we’ve got going.  According to Environment America, high-speed rail uses a third less energy per mile than car or plane travel; a nationwide system could reduce our oil use by 125 million barrels a year.  And Americans of every party and in every region are calling for more rail investment, not less.

But electric vehicles, fuel economy standards and high-speed rail are just a sample of what DOT is doing.

Just about every project our Federal Transit Administration supports helps us reduce dependence on imported oil.  The FAA is working to develop cleaner fuel for air travel, and the NextGen air traffic control system will lead to further fuel savings.  And our Maritime Administration is moving full steam ahead on America’s Marine Highways program, a real game-changer in freight shipping.

Now, we can’t just wave a magic wand and end our reliance on oil overnight. But under President Obama’s leadership, we are progressing down the path toward sustainability, a cleaner environment, and more livable communities.

Comments

[Mike Bima]

Too much rhetoric and no action while high paid government officials don’t get anything done.
The Marine Sector has been shown in many studies to provide the most efficient means of transport for many products. Best fuel efficiency, greenest, least congestion, etc.
Why is the Marine Sector struggling to get funding to upgrade infrastructure and operations?
Wake up DC.

[Mark Loeb]

I don't mean to be a cynic but the two most impactful ways to reduce oil use (imported or domestic) is pricing signals (carbon-based tax, VMT tax, elimination of oil and ethanol industry subsidies, etc.) and creating walkable urbanism (as described by Chris Leinberger). The Sustainable Communities Initiative that DOT, HUD and EPA is an enormous step in the right direction. Why didn't the President mention that?

The things outlined by the President will have a marginal impact. In the case of corn-based ethanol, expansion of the program will actually be detrimental to the nation and food prices worldwide.

If the President was serious about a coherent energy policy that prepares us for the inevitability of Peak Oil, the plan put forth would look vastly different.

[Justin Tuttle]

Transportation infrastructure is a fundamental element in our nation’s economy and American way of life. Young Americans are going to be particularly affected by decisions made today and their long term implications. The American High Speed Rail Alliance invites you to join our White House Young American Roundtable this April for a discussion on 21st Century transportation needs. For more information, please visit our facebook page at: http://on.fb.me/ibqVKk

[Bill Berkley]

Natural gas is the solution, but we need to tax gasoline to make it work. Put an additional 20 cents per gallon tax on gasoline every year over the next 10 years ($2.00) and people will buy more efficient cars and rely on public transportation: trains and buses. (Maybe it should slowly escalate to a $5.00 tax over 10 years.) Use the tax revenue to reduce debt and subsidize the refueling infrastructure. The trucking industry is leading the way with the installation of refueling stations across the country. T Boone has done more to advance a reasonable energy policy than Obama. The best part is that the natural gas is here in the good ole USA, so we get the jobs, less pollution, reduced inflation (and the price of oil), improved balance of payments, less reliance on foreign debt, and less money sent to our friends in the middle east who are trying to eradicate us. So why doesn't Obama do something to make this work instead of just talking, talking, talking?