http://www.grist.org/article/2010-11-23-the-best-9-steps-toward-oil-independence-report
The best 9 steps toward oil independence
by Jonathan Hiskes
24 Nov 2010 6:03 AM
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The Mobility Choice Coalition -- a collection of environmentalists, fiscal conservatives, and national security specialists -- ranks the most effective ways to reduce transportation-oil dependence in a new report, Taking the Wheel: Achieving a Competitive Transportation Sector Through Mobility Choice. <http://www.mobilitychoice.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=407:takingthewheel&catid=100:news&Itemid=494>
They must have forgotten to include "tax cuts for the $250,000-plus income bracket."
The key phrase in the title is "technically achievable oil savings." The report doesn't wade into whether the best strategies -- a gas tax and congestion pricing -- are politically feasible.
Unlike many similar reports, the Mobility Choice study doesn't put emissions reductions front and center. They're more interested in fiscal restraint and national security -- well-timed considerations for our current political climate.
I was surprised to see "Liberalize local land-development rules" so far down the list. Nearly everywhere in the U.S., outdated zoning laws mandate things like lot setbacks, building-height limits, parking space minimums, and 14-feet-wide road lanes -- whether or not they really make sense for a location. The authors clarify that compact, mixed-use development takes longer to create oil savings -- and their report focuses on benefits in the next 10 to 20 years.
That said, our building stock is rebuilt more quickly than you might assume. By 2035, approximately three-quarters of the built environment will be either new or renovated, according to Architecture 2030.
Jonathan Hiskes is a Grist staff writer. He reports, tweets, and wants to learn about everything.
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