Can Warren Buffett be right again, this time with his call Electric Cars? It is happening, it is happening now.
"Lithium Drive: Warren Buffett: "In not many years, you are going to see a clear change towards Electric Cars" Warren Buffett first pronounced in November 2009: "In 20 years, all cars on the road will be electric" Now we can hear his call on Electric Cars from the Master himself. He has invested in BYD - Chinese auto maker and Lithium battery company, which promise to bring its Electric Cars to U.S. BYD has made later investment in Lithium producer in China. We are in a very good company with our Lithium Dreamz."
"HARRISBURG, July 6 – State Rep. Greg Vitali today endorsed a report that calls on Pennsylvania and the rest of the country to reduce its dependence on oil. Vitali joined a news conference in the state Capitol where PennEnvironment released the report called "Getting Off Oil."
"Pennsylvania produces a full 1 percent of greenhouse gasses in the world through its use of oil and other fossil fuels," said Vitali, D-Delaware. "We have a responsibility to deal with this problem."
Vitali said Pennsylvania, which has 11 million vehicles on its roads, can reduce its dependency on oil by properly funding mass transit, promoting development and use of biofuels and promoting the production of electric cars to reduce the use of oil.
Vitali said 70 percent of the country's oil comes from foreign countries.
"That's caused military entanglements in the Middle East that are costly in terms of lives and money," Vitali said. "Oil dependency is America's Achilles heel."
Tim Diehl, a retired Air Force master sergeant who served in Iraq, said America sends $1 billion a day overseas to buy oil and some of that money gets into the hands of terrorists. He said America should take that money and invest it into clean, renewable energy.
"If it saves the life of one soldier, it's worth it," Diehl said.
Megan Fitzpatrick, federal field associate for PennEnvironment, said other states have taken steps to reduce oil consumption. Maine's conservative governor, Paul LePage, recently signed legislation that calls for that state to reduce gas consumption by 30 percent in 20 years.
"This isn't a Republican or Democratic issue," Fitzpatrick said.
Also joining the news conference were Jeff Schmidt, director of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the Sierra Club; Dr. James E. Jones from Physicians for Social Responsibility; Wayne Reich from the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association; Tanya Dierolf from PennFuture."
Executive Summary
America’s dependence on oil inflicts a heavy toll on our environment. There are many technologies and policy tools, however, that can curb America’s dependence on oil.
By taking strong action to cut down on energy waste and shift to cleaner sources of energy, America could re- duce its consumption of oil for energy by 1.9 billion barrels of oil per year by 2030—31 percent of today’s oil use— while achieving President Obama’s goal of reducing oil imports by one-third by 2025 and putting the nation on track to ending its dependence on oil.
America’s dependence on oil inflicts a heavy toll on our environment—harming our air, water and land. And with oil companies now having to go to greater lengths—and take greater risks—to satisfy the world’s demand for oil, the envi- ronmental impact of oil consumption will only increase in the years to come.
Global warming – Oil consumption is the number one source of carbon dioxide—the most important global warming pollutant—from the U.S. economy. America’s emissions of global warming pollution from oil burning alone exceed the total emis- sions of every nation in the world other than China.
Air pollution – Combustion of gasoline in motor vehicles produces nearly one-third of the nation’s air emissions of nitrogen oxides and more than one- fifth of emissions of volatile organic compounds. These two pollutants are responsible for the ozone smog that threatens the health of millions of Americans. Oil refineries are also major sources of toxic air emissions.
Oil spills and leaks – Oil spills impose massive damage on the environment. Over the past decade, more than 1 million barrels of oil products have leaked from petroleum pipelines, while there are approximately 7,300 reports each year of leaking under- ground oil storage tanks, which threat- en the safety of groundwater supplies.
Rising environmental threats – As oil from easy-to-reach reservoirs has run out, oil companies have increasingly used riskier and more environmentally destructive methods to obtain oil. Production of oil from Canada’s tar sands has destroyed vast areas of boreal forest, polluted local waterways with toxic substances, and increased global warming pollution. In the United States, the risks of deepwater offshore drilling were demonstrated by the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster, while oil companies hope someday to use pro- cesses similar to those used in Canada’s tar sands region to produce oil from shale in the American West.
America has the tools to curb our dependence on oil, starting now. By taking strong action on a variety of fronts, the United States could reduce its use of oil for energy by 31 percent below 2008 levels by 2030.
The benefits of an oil reduction strategy would accrue to all sectors of the economy and every region of the United States.
Oil consumption would be reduced by 35 percent in the transportation sec- tor, 31 percent in homes, 39 percent in businesses, and by 9 percent in the in- dustrial sector relative to 2008 levels.
Each of the 50 states would experience significant reductions in oil consump- tion, ranging from a 4 percent decline in fast-growing Nevada to a 46 percent drop in Michigan.
The policy steps that are needed to achieve these reductions in oil consumption include:
Fuel economy improvements in light- duty vehicles consistent with achievement of a 62 miles per gallon fuel economy/global warming pollution standard by 2025.
Aggressive efforts to put millions of plug-in electric vehicles on the road through light-duty vehicle global warming pollution standards and other strategies.Requiring the sale of energy-efficient replacement tires for cars and light trucks.
Encouraging the development of vibrant communities with a range of available transportation options, including transit, biking and walking.
Requiring large employers to work with their employees to reduce the number of single-passenger auto- mobile commutes to workplaces.
Transitioning to a system in which automobile drivers pay for insur- ance by the mile instead of at a flat rate—providing a financial incentive for reducing driving.
Doubling transit ridership over the next 20 years through expansion of public transportation systems, while further increasing ridership through efforts to make transit service more efficient, more reliable and more comfortable.
Establishing a clean fuel standard that reduces life-cycle global warming pollution from transportation fuels by 10 percent by 2020—encouraging a shift away from oil as a transportation fuel.
Promoting bicycling through investments in bike lanes and other facilities for bicyclists.
Building high-speed rail lines in 11 federally designated corridors, providing an alternative to air and car travel.
Improving the fuel economy of heavy-duty trucks, airplanes and trains.
Retrofitting existing homes and businesses to save energy, and adopting strong building energy codes to ensure that new homes are as energy efficient as possible.
Setting strong standards and creating strong incentives for the replacement of inefficient industrial boilers and process heat systems with high-efficiency models.
Curbing oil use in the federal government through improved energy efficiency and a shift to cleaner fuels.
To catalyze these changes—and protect Americans from the environmental, economic and national security costs of continued dependence on oil—the United States and individual state gov- ernments should set aggressive goals for oil savings and mobilize the resources needed to achieve those goals."
A comprehensive strategy to get off oil can reduce oil dependence in Pennsylvania by 1.8 billion gallons, four times more oil than we could get by expanding offshore drilling throughout the entire Atlantic and Pacific Coasts, according to a new report released today by PennEnvironment.
“It is time to declare our independence from oil,” said Megan Fitzpatrick, Federal Field Associate at PennEnvironment. “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 Pennsylvania closer to the day when we will no longer fear the impact of oil on our paychecks, our environment, and public health.”
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 oil companies have made our country deeply dependent on their dirty and dangerous product,” said Fitzpatrick. “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.
Leading public health experts, national security advocates, and elected officials echoed PennEnvironment’s call to action to reduce oil consumption.
“America’s dependence on oil from hostile nations funnels money to some of our most dangerous enemies,” warned MSgt. Tim Diehl, a retired Air Force Master Sergeant and Operation Free member. He has served in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
“Every day we send a billion dollars overseas for oil, much of which ends up in the hands of terrorist organizations and nations which don’t share America’s values. And all that money represents jobs that we could be creating here at home. Clean energy makes America stronger at home and around the world,” continued Diehl.
Representative Gregory Vitali congratulated PennEnvironment on the release, “this report brings needed attention to a very important issue. Pennsylvania has a huge transportation sector and this report identifies many ways our state can help reduce our nation’s dependency on oil.”
"The biggest single step we can take to end our addiction to oil is to set strong fuel efficiency and pollution standards that are not filled with loopholes that let the auto industry off the hook and undermine the oil savings and pollution reductions we need," said Jeff Schmidt, Director of the Sierra Club Pennsylvania Chapter. "President Obama and his administration should ensure we get a strong standard that has integrity," he continued.
PennEnvironment called on leaders at both the state and federal level to enact comprehensive plans to reduce oil consumption. This week, Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) joined Senators Tom Carper (D-DE), Tom Udall (D-NM) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) in introducing the “Oil Independence for a Stronger America Act.” This legislation embodies many of the strategies we outline in our report, including an ambitious effort to increase federal investment in electric vehicles, better transportation and land use planning, and a major investment in public transportation.
“Across the political spectrum, Pennsylvanians understand the importance of getting Pennsylvania 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.”
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