Oil Consumption is Rising, Imports are Skyrocketing, and Our Vehicles Are to Blame

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The most important steps we can take to cut our oil dependence are to raise fuel efficiency standards and to meet them using the technologies described in the preceding pages.

But other strategies will take us even further toward reducing our oil dependence. NRDC is working to forward these solutions, and will publicize new developments and action opportunities as they arise.

• Expand the use of renewable, non-petroleum fuels, such as ethanol made from specially grown plants or crop wastes, by steadily increasing requirements for "renewable content" in gasoline.

• Accelerate the development of hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles, using a combination of incentives and state requirements to spur increased production.

  Once technical and economic hurdles are overcome, these vehicles have the potential to use one-third the energy of today's cars (none of it from oil) and produce near-zero harmful emissions.

• Encourage "smart growth" instead of suburban sprawl, to increase Americans' transportation choices and make communities more livable with less driving.

For more detail on NRDC's plan to end our reliance on oil, see NRDC's July 2004 fact sheet.