EDITORIAL: President’s State of the Union Spotlights Clean Fuels and Clean Energy

Clean Cities Coachella Valley Region
Editorial
January 25, 2012

President’s State of the Union Spotlights Clean Fuels and Clean Energy

In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama called for a national focus on developing a long-term energy plan for America. The Clean Cities Program has long advocated for a solution to our dependency on OPEC oil and to the harmful emissions caused by motor vehicles. We know we can’t solve our political problems or our air quality problems without focusing on transportation, which accounts for two-thirds of America’s oil use.

For the first time in a long time, it seems both parties agree that natural gas can provide a solution. A White House report on rebuilding our economy states that natural gas is the cleanest of the fossil fuels. We have massive amounts of natural gas reserves in the U.S. and we should immediately move to better utilize it.

We believe it’s time for the rest of the nation to follow the lead set by the Coachella Valley. In 1994, we had to move from the vague generalities of converting our bus fleet from diesel to an alternate fuel to the specifics of procuring natural gas vehicles and developing infrastructure. We also had to develop training materials so our mechanics and drivers could learn the properties of alternative fuels and how to handle them safely. Congress needs to get equally specific about a nationwide transition plan.

Since electricity is rarely produced from oil, creating more energy from natural gas, hydro, wind, solar and nuclear will not have a major impact on our dependence on OPEC oil. But finding a substitute for oil as a major transportation fuel will.

Now is the perfect time for this long-awaited action. We hope the President and the Congress will proceed with haste to provide the incentives for developing alternative fuels infrastructure and to large diesel users to convert to cleaner fuels.

Clean Cities Coachella Valley
Coordinators:

Suzanne Seivright (bio)
P.O. Box 1379
Palm Springs, CA 92263
Website

Richard Cromwell III (bio)
Richard Cromwell III and Associates
PO Box 1207
Desert Hot Springs, CA 92240
Website