Move America Beyond Oil

The government has failed to adopt a rational energy policy, but you can cut costs on your own right now.

This summer, pain at the pump has reached epidemic proportions, and everyone is clamoring for relief. The Bush administration has run for cover by offering the same old failed solutions: drilling for oil in protected coastal waters and exploiting America's precious wild places, which—according to the government itself—don't hold enough fuel to make a difference.

So what will make a difference? Despite many years of urging from national security and energy experts, including NRDC, the president and Congress have failed to adopt a farsighted national energy policy that would move the United States away from our reliance on fossil fuels. That means that in the short term, thanks to the government's neglect, relief from high gas prices is up to you.

Get Real Relief On Your Own Now

We all have to take steps to use less fuel and become energy efficient. If that sounds like just another kind of pain, take heart. Compared to shelling out $4 a gallon for gas all summer long, these solutions aren't that tough. Simply driving your car differently—through routine maintenance and smarter habits—can add up to about $800 a year in fuel savings for the average U.S. driver, according to an NRDC analysis. Find out how.

If you're looking for even greater savings, consider buying a more fuel-efficient model or a hybrid. A Toyota Camry hybrid, for example, boosts fuel economy by about a third compared to the conventional version. If you're paying $3.72 a gallon, that saves about $600 a year. See more comparisons at this government website or check out NRDC's helpful hybrid buyer's guide.

In the long term, the solutions are just as clear: We must unleash our technological prowess and change the U.S. infrastructure to be less reliant on oil. Again, this means changing the way we operate, but those changes will lead to a better quality of life for us today and a better future for our children.

Reduce Oil Dependence for the Future

What we're talking about is a long-needed national energy plan for the 21st century and beyond, engaging multiple sectors of the economy. The potential solutions include:

• Requiring cars and trucks to meet greater fuel economy standards and providing American carmakers with incentives to continuously invest in cleaner, more efficient technologies.
• Developing and investing in clean, sustainable fuels that are cheaper than oil, do not interfere with food production, and are made from sustainable resources such as prairie grasses grown on America's farms.
• Providing more transportation choices by building pleasant communities where people can drive less (while walking and biking more) and investing in mass transit, telecommuting and other alternatives to the automobile.

A rational energy policy won't just result in lower prices at the pump. It will help combat global warming, improve American competitiveness and enhance our national security interests.

The United States consumes more than 20 million barrels of oil a day to power cars, trucks, factories and homes, accounting for roughly a quarter of worldwide demand. Yet we have less than 2 percent of all known oil reserves and import about 60 percent of our oil, making us dangerously dependent on a single, precarious energy source to keep our economy moving.

Drilling, Dirty Fuels Are Not the Answer

So who doesn't want to change? Oil companies, which have been posting record profits even while crying that they're suffering along with everyone else. Instead of real solutions, energy companies and their allies in Congress have been pushing to drill in protected areas and develop dirty fuels such as oil shale and tar sands that pose threats to our health, communities and environment. Tell Congress it's a bad idea and take action to ensure that we adopt the right solutions to high gas prices—solutions that will help our both our pocketbooks and our planet.

See Also
Save Gas Right Now

More Resources
Tune Up America analysis
Clean Energy: The Solution to High Gas Prices
The Destructive Consequences of Offshore Drilling
Hybrid Buyers' Guide
Biofuels Can Cut Pollution
Arctic Refuge 101