Plans are Done: Organizations Say It Is Time for Action to End Oil Dependence

For Immediate Release: June 15, 2010
For more information contact EESI at (202) 662-1884 or communications [at] eesi.org.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In his speech on the Gulf oil catastrophe tonight, President Obama can give the nation not only a message of hope, but also a concrete plan to cut the nation’s oil dependence dramatically, said fourteen national, regional and local organizations* said today.

“The nation’s dependence on petroleum need not be permanent. The road to freedom from oil imports has already been mapped. The President can start our nation on the journey tonight,” the organizations said in a joint statement. “We don’t need more analysis – it has already been done. With the President’s leadership we can start implementing the solution immediately.”

“This transition will produce millions of American jobs, recapture hundreds of billions of dollars that now go offshore, rather than being invested in America and American jobs, and most importantly, make America and the world more secure,” they said. The organizations represent a wide spectrum of corporate, environmental and public interests.

“We are in a crisis. It is time to face it head-on with all the tools we have. Deployment plans by the National Academies of Science and by various private organizations show the way. The key remaining ingredient is a national will. The good news is that the U.S. can virtually eliminate use of petroleum in our passenger cars by 2050 with the right combination of policies, research and assistance to commercialize a portfolio of vehicle and fuel technologies. Efficiency, biofuels, natural gas, battery electric and fuel cell electric vehicles all will make a contribution,” they said.

“We must set aside notions about any one ‘winning’ technology and focus on results, beginning now and sticking with the program for the long term. The future of the oil economy looks even worse than today’s grim reality. With American engineering skill and with committed and focused leadership from our government, we can, and indeed we must, build a clean energy economy,” the organizations said.

*The fourteen organizations include the Breakthrough Technologies Institute, California Hydrogen Business Council, Clean Air Now, Coalition for Clean Air, Connecticut Hydrogen Fuel Cell Coalition, Electric Drive Transportation Association, Energy Independence Now, Environmental and Energy Study Institute, National Hydrogen Association, Natural Gas Vehicle for America, Renewable Fuels Association, South Carolina Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Alliance, Strategic, Energy, Environmental & Transportation Alternatives, and U.S. Fuel Cell Council.