efficiency – The Energy Chronicle

Central Florida “Most Improved” in Petroleum Reduction Nationwide

Sherri Shields Awards, Energy News, Press Release February 5, 2015February 27, 2015alternative fuel, Clean Cities, efficiency 0 Comment

By Sherri Shields
Feb. 5, 2015

Central Florida Clean Cities Coalition encompasses a 10-county area.

The Central Florida Clean Cities Coalition was awarded first place for Most Improved Petroleum Reduction, among nearly 100 coalitions nationwide. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities Coalitions advance the nation’s economic, environmental, and energy security by supporting local actions to reduce petroleum consumption in transportation.

The Central Florida Clean Cities Coalition territory encompasses a 10-county area consisting of Brevard, Flagler, Indian River, Lake, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, St. Lucie and Volusia Counties. The coalition had a 247 percent increase in petroleum reduction in 2013 compared to the previous year. The Most Improved award was announced at the annual Clean Cities Coordinator Workshop in December 2014.

Director's Message: Fuel Price Solutions – The Long and Short of It

Sherri Shields Director's Message, Feature Story September 19, 200855 mph speed limit, barrels of oil per day, CAFE standards, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Director's Message, efficiency, ethanol, fuel prices, fuel-efficient vehicle, gas prices, Governor Charlie Crist, hybrid, James Fenton, mbd, oil drilling, oil field depletion, oil prices, oil production, T. Boone Pickens, tire pressure 8 Comments

Fuel price reduction by energy-efficient vehicles, oil drilling, speed limits, or ethanol?

Over the past few months, high oil and gasoline prices have had pundits and politicians flailing away about what we should do. On the one hand, some believe the United States is sitting on countless oil deposits, and the quickest, best solution is to poke holes in the ground and watch gas prices fall. On the other hand, weathered industry professionals, such as retired oil baron, T. Boone Pickens, realize an immediate need for independence from oil, whether domestic or foreign. In Pickens’ recently purchased TV spots, he clearly states that “we can’t drill our way out of this emergency,” and in a recent interview with CNN’s Lou Dobbs he said America should utilize its cleaner, cheaper, abundant resources, such as natural gas, wind and solar power.

The U.S. consumes about 21 million barrels of oil per day (mbd) – roughly 25 percent of total world oil production. We import almost two-thirds of what we use (14 mbd ) from foreign countries. The cost of these imports is approaching $2 billion per day ($700 billion per year at $136 per barrel). This is a significant drain, both on the finances of individual households and on our national economic security.

What are the near term (three to five-year) options?