Gas Prices

[WAKeele]

Here's a response I sent to one of two of my "elected representatives" after they sent a pretty cookie-cutting response about off shore drilling. It was a spur-of-the-moment response so it could have been better.

Senator Corker,

Thank you for your reply.

I'm not very keen on coal-to-oil, mostly because it still is a fossil fuel source and it just moves the problem around. Depending on the type of biofuel, like Waste Vegetable Oil, other waste products or non-food based crops that aren't grown on traditionally food based fields unless part of a crop rotation cycle, I'm for it. Using food for fuel is flat out stupid! I'm not hearing much on geothermal and than another great renewable energy source.

The problem is we don't have a huge urgency to move to new, non-fossil fuel based power. If all the oil wells world wide dried up tomorrow from some large-scale geological event, we would get our ass in gear and find new solutions FAST. Much like with the our entry into WWII, it spurred a development boom because we were behind our enemies and our future depended upon it! We need this kind of urgency today!

Another thing that really bothers me is that most Americans think cars with fuel economy numbers in the 30s mpg is good. Wrong! In Europe those are average to low numbers. Diesel cars are a norm and most on the market there today get in the 50s and 60s mpg. I just looked up the numbers on the German Volkswagen site on their current production line that confirms this statement. You don't even need fancy studies telling you how much oil this would save the U.S. if just HALF the country drove private autos like those. I do. I sold my 2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon (the big, all-out off-roading 4 door version) for a 2001 VW Jetta TDI (the turbo diesel model) back in December of last year when I got back from being stationed in Germany. I average (about 50/50 city/highway miles currently) 48 mpg. I've never got less than 45 mpg since I've owned it and it has over 195,000 miles on it. It runs great and has PLENTY of get up and go! Plenty of room (I'm 6'1") and storage (for instance, I fit a dishwasher in the back seat a few days ago), so people can't use the excuse you pay in comfort, storage space and even performance for fuel efficiency.

We need to be taking a REALLY good look at Europe for the auto market here in the U.S. Personal autos that get below 30 mpg should be a rarity by now, particularly since we've had a faster than normal rise in fuel costs for about four years in most places. This is something available RIGHT NOW. You in Washington want to give the American people a quick fix for high fuel prices--BAM! Import these vehicles and hold U.S. auto makers to these standards. Drilling off shore isn't going to fix the problem. Yeah, it will increase supply a LITTLE in a few years, but not any time soon.

Thank you for you time and please research what I've said for yourself.

Sincerely,

William A. Keele
Tennessee Air National Guard

[776281]

MPG figures internationally need adjusting. The US gallon is smaller (3.78 litres) than an imperial UK gallon (4.54 litres). It does not change the thrust of your argument, European vehicles are more economical, but some will throw it back at you. The difference isn't quite as big as it seems.

Commonly you will see consumption figures in litres per 100 kilometers. The idea being you travel what you need to then buy the fuel to suit, rather than buy fuel then travel as far as you can.

[WAKeele]

That is very true. I converted all the metric figures from the Germany sites in American gallons myself.

Off topic, but is there a really good argument for not every country to be on the metric system by now? I think the U.S. is proving, yet again, how arrogant it is by not switching to the metric system. I try to think and do everything in metric terms since I'm going into a scientific field and not to be a hypocrite. I mean the two sets of tools are bad enough too!

--Adam