Results tagged “environment” from Ultimate Politics

NORFOLK, Va. -- In this section of the Larchmont neighborhood, built in a sharp "u" around a bay off the Lafayette River, residents pay close attention to the lunar calendar, much as other suburbanites might attend to the daily flow of commuter traffic. Green A blog about energy and the environment. Go to Blog » Enlarge This Image Matthew Eich for The New York Times William Stiles, executive director of Wetlands Watch, believes such projects are futile in the face of rising sea levels. Readers' Comments Readers shared their thoughts on this article. * Read All Comments (162) » If the moon is going to be full the night before Hazel Peck needs her car, for example, she parks it on a parallel block, away from the river. The next morning, she walks through a neighbor's backyard to avoid the two-to-three-foot-deep puddle that routinely accumulates on her street after high tides. For Ms. Peck and her neighbors, it is the only way to live with the encroaching sea. As sea levels rise, tidal flooding is increasingly disrupting life here and all along the East Coast, a development many climate scientists link to global warming. But Norfolk is worse off. Situated just west of the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, it is bordered on three sides by water, including several rivers, like the Lafayette, that are actually long tidal streams that feed into the bay and eventually the ocean. Like many other cities, Norfolk was built on filled-in marsh. Now that fill is settling and compacting. In addition, the city is in an area where significant natural sinking of land is occurring. The result is that Norfolk has experienced the highest relative increase in sea level on the East Coast -- 14.5 inches since 1930, according to readings by the Sewells Point naval station here. Climate change is a subject of friction in Virginia. The state's attorney general, Ken T. Cuccinelli II, is trying to prove that a prominent climate scientist engaged in fraud when he was a researcher at the University of Virginia. But the residents of coastal neighborhoods here are less interested in the debate than in the real-time consequences of a rise in sea level. When Ms. Peck, now 75 and a caretaker to her husband, moved here 40 years ago, tidal flooding was an occasional hazard. "Last month," she said recently, "there were eight or nine days the tide was so doggone high it was difficult to drive."
Read the entire post in the New York Times

Think about this, what if this Oil spill, as tragic as it is, provides us with the wake up call about how we power our world? My first thought when the spill happened was, what if we had not gotten rid of the electric car of the 1990's (from the documentary Who Killed the Electric Car?) and electric cars had grown in usage for the past decade? Would the drilling platform catastrophe still have happened? No one can be sure, but what we can be sure of, is that it will keep happening until we change our cars from gas/oil powered to electric powered. That's why this petition is so important - the Gulf Oil Spill Electric Car Credit. This petition asks for legislation to give a substantial credit for purchasing an electric car, and it has key provisions to put a lot of people to work, immediately - in a midterm election year. But we need to get support for this idea in the US House and Senate. That's where you can help... Here is what the petition says:

To: The US President and US Congress from Americans Concerned about the 2010 Gulf Oil Spill Gulf Oil Spill Electric Car Credit With oil prices expected to exceed $100 per barrel and millions of dollars of catastrophic damage occurring to U.S. coasts, wildlife, and coastal economies, all due to the 2010 Gulf Coast Oil Spill, it is time for a new direction for transportation in America. In response to the Gulf Coast Oil Spill, this petition asks the U.S. Congress and Senate to introduce legislation and for the President to sign into law a bill that will do the following: 1) Increase the electric car tax credit for any American made Electric cars to 70% of the purchase price. 2) Provide a tax credit for consumers equal to the cost of labor to convert their gas engine vehicle to an electric engine vehicle. 3) To require that all Federal Agencies must use American made Electric cars for 70% of their vehicle fleets beginning January of 2011 and thereafter. This will create instant demand for U.S. made electric cars, which will put Americans back to work, boost the American economy, reduce the demand for Oil, and will give the American people a choice to drive an affordable vehicle that is clean and does not pose a threat to our coastal economies or our wildlife. Sincerely, The Undersigned

It may seem impossible to ask for a 70% credit on a car - but, if credit rebate like that is offered,for a set period of time, in the same way the Cash for Clunkers program worked, it will cause a huge increase in production, and ultimately drive down the costs per vehicle long term. That means, you the consumer, could buy a $50,000 Tesla for $15,000 or a $40,000 Volt for $12,000. And with the Chevy Volt, the Government could likely negotiate a lowered cost for the Chevy Volt with GM, since the US now owns a majority share of 60% of GM's stock. Also, the mandate for government fleets to consist of 70% Electric cars will ensure a steady customer base for companies like Tesla or General Motors, also reducing costs. Cash for Clunkers program was very popular. That is because unlike the unpopular multi-Trillion dollar Bank Bailouts which give nothing to average citizens, this program would provide a tangible asset for American consumers. And this bill stipulates the cars be American made - thus employing more Americans. Heading into the mid-terms, the number one issue at this time is the job market. Imagine if GM announces they are re-hiring laid off workers or that a closed GM factory is re-opening? Also, Mechanics all across the country would suddenly have an increase in their work orders from people who want to take advantage of the tax credit to exchange their gas engine for an electric one. Imagine, you could exchange out your 1995 Impala gas engine for a 2010 Chevy Volt engine, and see your driving costs drop for transportation - for even less cost than purchasing a new electric car. We must act - especially since BP is already acting to make this oil spill become out of sight and out of mind, by dumping thousands of gallons of toxic dispersant chemicals on the Oil Spill, which is more harmful than the oil itself, but seemingly only so that the Oil Spill is not as visible on the surface of the Ocean. (greenwashing at it's worst) Certainly fines and regulations will be useful as a lesson to industry, and stopping new drilling will reduce accidents, but we must get to the cause of our oil use. To prevent this type of accident we must get to the source problem, and changing our cars is one way to do that - so let's make electric cars and new engines affordable enough for the middle class and promote their purchase. Now, I am not just looking for signatures on a petition, I am looking for you to call your members of Congress and the Senate to support this kind of legislation - and for anyone who might know a supportive legislator who would carry this type of bill forward. Contact Congress Here and Contact the Senate Here or simply call the general phone number (202) 224-3121 and ask your representative to support the Gulf Oil Spill Electric Car Credit. Add in the comments section which Congress person or Senator would be a good candidate to carry this bill forward. Sign the petition and get our leaders to support it in Congress. It's time to take the oil stains off our hands forever.

The Gulf Oil Spill is our wake up call. Sign the Petition for the Gulf Oil Spill Electric Car Credit