In his national address last night from the Oval Office, President Obama vowed to address the Gulf Coast oil spill crisis with "everything we've got," while also taking the opportunity to call on Americans to get behind public policy reforms and change personal habits toward a new energy future in the United States.
In a Chicago Tribune article analyzing the address, Senate Assistant Majority Leader Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) said, "If [President Obama] is successful at linking the disaster in the gulf to the broader energy issue, we may spark a new debate. It's important, it's timely, but it is a tough political issue."
Indeed. However, in recent years voters have indicated they are ready to make changes, particularly to how they get from point A to point B: According to a 2010 Transportation for America survey, American voters want more transportation options so that they can replace car trips with public transportation, walking and biking -- at least sometimes. They also want the federal government to proactively support their decisions by financing transit, bike paths, sidewalks and complete streets. In addition to pursuing wind and solar energy to power our homes and businesses, investing in a wider range of transportation options will be vital to curbing the nation's oil consumption, as transportation accounts for nearly one-third of total energy use in the U.S – and one-third of greenhouse gas emissions.
That’s why MPC has signed on in support of letters penned by national coalitions Transportation for America and Smart Growth America, both of which call for pending climate and energy bills to strengthen funding and policies that will promote green transportation options.
You, too, can show your support for cleaner, more efficient transportation: Visit Smart Growth America’s web site to voice your support for the Boxer-Kerry bill, and ask lawmakers to allocate a greater percentage of the bill’s total funding to investing in clean transportation and sustainable development that links jobs, homes and transportation.
UPDATE: I just came across this great piece by Grist’s Jonathan Hiskes, "10 ways cities and towns can kick the offshore-oil habit." Whle it's true we don't need the federal government to do these things, incentives and support from the top sure wouldn't hurt.
