Green Machines Road Trip

TAKE ACTION!

Tell Congress to Save Oil and Save Jobs!

Discussing Climate Change with Mr. Dingell

This week the Green Machines Tour participated in two town hall meetings to discuss climate change with Congressman John Dingell. It’s quite interesting that Dingell, who’s been the House Representative for the Dearborn / Ann Arbor area in Michigan for over 50 years, is now Chairman of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee and in the position to craft climate change legislation.  Sure, he has a history of helping to establish some significant environmental laws – like the Clean Air Act, among others - but what’s his history in terms of fuel economy and efficiency? He does, after all, represent thousands of auto workers and has several assembly plants and auto companies in his district.  Given this, can we trust him to draft effective climate change legislation? (Picture courtesy of Project Hotseat)

Michigan's Future as a Biofuels Leader

Today the Green Machines Tour was at the Capital in Lansing, MI to watch the Governor’s Renewable Fuels Commission present their recommendations to the state legislature.  The Commission has been hard at work for the past 8 months debating policies to promote biofuels in the state.  The Green Machines Tour’s Charles Griffith was appointed by the governor to be on the commission, and he fought to incorporate recommendations that would ensure the sustainability of biofuels.  What came out of his and the other commissioners’ efforts is a broad set of regulations and incentives that would propel Michigan into a leadership role in the bio-energy sector – but only if the governor and legislator act on them.

Green Machines Tour "Re-Energizes" in Taylor, Michigan

The GMT headed to Taylor, MI this month to participate in a Town Hall Meeting addressing the challenges of oil dependency and global warming.

The event focused on solutions that begin in Michigan, with an exciting and diverse panel that included Reverend Dr. Bob Edgar, Director of the National Council of Churches, R. James Woolsey, Former Director of the CIA; Lana Pollack, President of the Michigan Environmental Council; and Michigan Senator Raymond E. Basham, District 8.

A Green Vue

After getting back to Michigan, we sat down to reflect on our experience with the Saturn Vue “Green Line”, which was very graciously loaned to us by Darius Sivin, member of UAW Local 1981 and staffer in the UAW’s Health and Safety Department.

The EPA estimates that the Saturn Vue “Green Line” should get a combined (hwy./city) fuel mileage of 29 mpg.  We expected that our mileage would be somewhat lower than that because we drove in some severe cold temperatures and on some pretty slippery roads.  Plus, we understand that NiMH batteries, like the one in the Vue, don’t often work as well in cold temperatures (more on the challenges for hybrid batteries in our “Plugs-ins in Minnesota?” post). EPA will be revising its fuel economy ratings for the 2008 model year to better account for these “real world” conditions. After tallying all our fill-ups, we calculated an average fuel-economy of 25 mpg over about 2000 miles.

Saving Oil and Greening Fleets in Michigan

Along our way, we listened as President Bush delivered his State of the Union address where he laid out his goal of a 75% reduction in America's use of Mideast oil.  While we certainly agree with the goal, we have our doubts about the plan to actually get us there.  Let's just say that the administration's track record for addressing the nation's "addiction to oil" has been somewhat less than stellar.  That's why our Green Machines Tour is asking for your help in calling on Congress to take stronger action to "Save Oil and Save Jobs."

Back home in Michigan, on a cold January day, we met with some of the people that are taking action to save oil.  The Ann Arbor area Clean Cities Coalition has been one of the leaders of the Green Fleets movement.  We met at the City of Ann Arbor's fleet garage where fleet services manager Tom Gibbons operates his fleet of nearly 400 vehicles, most of which use renewable and alternative fuels.  Tom showed off his super-sized "bio-diesel" tank and fueling station, which uses a minimum of 20% bio-diesel in colder months, and up to 50% blends of the renewable diesel fuel in the summer.  The City also runs part of its fleet on clean-burning natural gas (CNG), and also maintains a public CNG filling station.  While it plans on adding E-85 "flex-fuel" vehicles in the future, the City currently uses a 10% blend of ethanol in all its gasoline-powered vehicles. 

Significant to the City's progress was passage of a Green Fleets policy in 2004 that set a 10% reduction goal of gasoline and diesel fuel use by 2012.  According to the City's Energy Coordinator, Dave Konkle, the City had already surpassed this goal in 2006, achieving an 11% reduction.  Konkle also estimates reduced greenhouse gas emissions of 7%.  In addition to the City's use of renewable and alternative fuels, savings have also been achieved through fleet downsizing and the purchase of vehicles with higher fuel economy. 

Its not just the City that has been greening fleets in the Ann Arbor area.  Sean Reed now manages the local coalition that also includes the University of Michigan, Washtenaw County, the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority, and a host of other public and private fleet operators.  Notably, the University of Michigan has been one of the early pioneers in the use of E-85 and biodiesel, with one of the largest fleets (over 400) of flex-fuel vehicles anywhere in the country.  All in all, area Clean Cities partners have put more than 1,850 renewable or alternative-fuel vehicles on the roads in Washtenaw County, displacing more than 1,300,000 gallons of gasoline and diesel fuel.