Obama comes to Md. to tout clean cars
Flanked by a half-dozen electric-powered trucks owned by companies with some of the largest vehicle fleets on the road, President Barack Obama urged businesses Friday to help the nation reduce its reliance on fossil fuels by replacing gas-guzzling vehicles with more fuel-efficient models.
Obama’s appearance at a UPS distribution facility in Landover was part of a broader effort by the White House in recent days to refocus attention on the nation’s energy challenges as turmoil in the Middle East sends gasoline prices skyward. Earlier this week, Obama called for reducing U.S. oil imports by one-third by 2025.
“I know a lot of folks have been feeling the pinch of higher gas prices lately — whether you’re filling up your tank or running a business like UPS,” Obama said Friday inside the cavernous distribution facility, which serves Washington and its Maryland suburbs. “We can’t keep going from shock to trance, rushing to propose action when gas prices rise, then hitting the snooze button when they fall.”
The White House is encouraging companies to buy vehicles that run on electricity or other alternative fuels. In exchange, the Department of Energy is offering technical assistance, access to research and opportunities to pool purchasing power to limit upfront costs.
UPS, AT&T, FedEx, PepsiCo and Verizon have signed on to the voluntary program, which the administration is calling the National Clean Fleets Partnership. With more than 275,000 vehicles between them, the firms manage five of the 10 largest fleets in the U.S., according to the White House. The effort is expected to put 20,000 new electric or hybrid vehicles on the road.
Ultimately, the president said, an increase in demand for fuel-efficient vehicles by the private sector could help lower costs of the technology for everyone.
“If we’re serious about making the transition from gas-guzzlers to hybrids, we need to show automakers that there’s a real market for these vehicles,” Obama said. “We need to show them that if they manufacture fuel-efficient cars and trucks, people will actually buy them.”
The administration is talking about energy as political attention shifts to next year’s presidential election. Historically, the cost of fuel has been a potent pocketbook issue for voters; during the 2008 campaign, Obama used a spike in gasoline prices to help frame his energy platform.
Since then, his energy agenda has suffered significant setbacks. Cap-and-trade legislation that would have limited emissions from electric utilities and other businesses died in the Senate last year amid concerns about its effect on energy prices. The Gulf of Mexico oil spill and the ongoing nuclear reactor crisis in Japan have further complicated the nation’s long-term energy strategy.
Congressional Republicans have criticized Obama for not allowing energy companies to pursue new domestic oil drilling sites.
“There is no excuse for the Obama Administration’s repeated efforts to block, delay or cancel American energy development that will create good paying American jobs,” House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings of Washington said in a statement Friday.
The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in Maryland was $3.59 on Friday, according to the AAA Mid-Atlantic. That’s up from $2.80 a gallon a year ago. The national average was $3.62 per gallon.
With Congress locked in fiercely partisan debate over the federal budget for the foreseeable future, it’s not clear when lawmakers will revisit an overhaul of the nation’s energy policy.
Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin said he believes some progress toward reducing the reliance on imported fossil fuels remains possible — so long as it is done incrementally.
“I support the comprehensive approach, but it’s not going to happen,” the Maryland Democrat told The Baltimore Sun on Friday. “So you need to do it in smaller pieces.”
Obama toured the UPS facility and spoke with representatives from the companies involved in the new federal initiative. Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood also attended.
“You got some corn chips?” Obama joked as he approached Steven Hanson, national fleet sustainability manager for Texas-based Frito-Lay.
Because the new electric trucks get great mileage, the snack food giant uses them on 65- to 70-mile daily routes — twice the average route, according to a company representative.
“Our operators love it so far,” Hanson said. “They like the quiet. They like the visibility. And they like not smelling like diesel fumes.”
But the upfront investment in the trucks is a significant obstacle. One of the new models now used by UPS costs nearly twice as much as a regular diesel-fueled truck, a company spokeswoman said.
UPS has about 2,000 fuel-efficient vehicles on the road out of roughly 100,000 in the fleet overall, spokeswoman Kara Ross said.
Gov. Martin O’Malley and other Maryland officials have long sought to increase the number of fuel-efficient cars purchased by the government — and they have made some progress.
In 2010, alternative-fuel or hybrid vehicles accounted for 23 percent of state vehicle purchases, up from 11 percent the year before, according to a spokesman for the Maryland Energy Administration.
The state currently operates 1,806 of those vehicles, spokesman Ian Hines said, or about 20 percent of its fleet.
O’Malley joined LaHood on a conference call with reporters Friday. He praised the administration’s efforts to help states add alternative-energy vehicles to their fleets.
“Every state has the potential…to put their back into this so that we can win this cleaner, greener energy future.”
Comments
Great job Mr President. Now how about finding our own oil in the meantime. And stop starting wars we have no business to be in. You sound more and more like Bush everyday. Yet, time after time again, you said that toppling dictators was "stupid" and led to "stupid" wars, yet you go and get us involved somewhere else? All you do is screw the taxpayer daily. I hope you enjoy your 4 years, cause that's all your getting.
Posted by: ORRACK BOBAMA | April 1, 2011 3:47 PM
I think it good to prepare people for what is to come. We need to continue the effort. Also im glad that he obama understands the ripple effect. what happens elsewhere will generally end up on your front door step if its not addressed.The republican plan turn a blind eye as people are machined gunned in the street. its ok not our problem. Until they get bold enough to cook up nueclear weapons
Posted by: ak | April 1, 2011 4:24 PM
I LOOKED AT GETTING AN ELEC. CARE BUT COULD NOT FIND ANY PLACE TO CHAGE IT WHILE SHOPPING IN TOWN.
Posted by: GHOP | April 1, 2011 5:22 PM
Is Ben Cardin senile? What is that comprehensive approach, Ben? Burning Hanukah Candles to generate energy? You are truly irrelevant.
Posted by: didactic1 | April 1, 2011 5:39 PM
Great to see much-deserved attention to UPS, AT&T, Verizon and others who are advancing cleaner transportation with vehicles powered by American natural gas. Natural gas is nearing half the price of traditional gasoline, so it’s smart business, too. Check out www.anga.us/ngv to learn more.
Posted by: ANGA US | April 1, 2011 6:23 PM
Just like clean coal, mr president? How about getting America jobs and kicking out the illegal who does not pay taxes, Hmmm?
Posted by: jeffdavis | April 2, 2011 7:24 AM
gas prices are up despite extensive supplies, they are being driven up by risk in the middle east. adding new sources of domestic production wont change the price of oil on a global basis unless we discover a pool of oil the size of the Louisiana Purchase, not likely. getting libya stable will lower prices - look how much infrastructure exxon has in libya - since long before qaddafi.
OMalley is the next VP, look how many times OB is in MD 'burbs.
Posted by: mike | April 2, 2011 7:57 AM
Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My. The Presidential Limo is exempt, yet let us continue to follow the yellow brick road.
Posted by: Carole | April 2, 2011 8:25 AM
Heartwarming to see Prez Hope in the "community" heart of PG County. did he ask his half-bros how many green cars they're planning to buy? Or even to steal? Models stolen are actually a fine gauge of auto value. The post-racial era is truly upon us.
Posted by: didactic1 | April 2, 2011 8:43 AM
Another do as I demand not as I do dictator.
Posted by: Anonymous | April 2, 2011 9:59 AM
it amazes me how uniformed most Americans are on the oil subject. We consume 25% of the worlds oil production, , 5% of the worlds population and have 6% of the worlds oil reserves. Anybody with half a brain can see that is not sustainable. Yet some brain dead individuals seem to think we can drill our way out of the problem. 75% of the oil we import goes to feed our large gas guzzlers. It's time we woke up (especially all of you dumb republicans).
Posted by: Jay | April 2, 2011 10:10 AM
Respose to Jay -US oil use not sustainable? Perhaps not. But, the question is price as well as supply. And the price is affected by the market's perception of what's coming on line iin the next few years. I believe your estimate of US reserves is somewhat low, as it could not possibly include potential oil shale exploitation which would put the US in Saudi type abundace of oil. Price is based on perception; the stock market being an example, gold another. We do use lees oil per capita-our cars are more efficient and Obama is right to pursue greater truck efficiencies as well. But right now the speculators and big buyers of futures have no reason to believe the price will stabilize or go down if the US doesn't exploit its own fields or do far more to help Iraq exploit its massive potentia. Fighting our recent ally in the War on terror or Islamist terror if you will, Co. Gadafy doesn't do much for oil price stability at all. When we elect a CEO who understands how value is created, how and why capital invests in technologies that make money, and how the balance of power in the world has nothing to do with human rights or the hapless UN or NATO, then prices and capital will be priced rationally. Rational opportunity to make a profit in now risky work will re-emerge. And the quality of life will improve. Green power is fine and will have its niche. It cannot sustain however a high standard of living for us or our Asian or European competitors. Even Brazil, the land of biofuels, is drilling away(with Obama support) off-shore in the treacherous shores of the South Atlantic. the Earth has always had severe weather, high carbon levels in different eras, and species annihilation. Obama lacks the guts or imagination to be a Napoleon or Alexander: he won't re-shape the vision of how we view ourselves or what resource are critical to progress. He isn't that smart. We need a CEO who can produce bottom line value. Not an ambitious but second-rate professor and local Chicago pol who couldn't even win a contested election in a black district in Chicago.
Posted by: didactic1 | April 2, 2011 4:51 PM
So...that BP plant near Frederick that was supposed to give Marylanders the choice of affordable solar so they could get off the Constellation/BGE energy grid...why is it not being finished?
Posted by: HarlanR | April 2, 2011 5:56 PM
Clean coal?...illegals?
Don't amount to a hill of beans compared to what we are looking at.
He is doing his job and he is doing it well, get over it.
Posted by: Ray Barcia | April 4, 2011 11:50 AM
1.6 trillion dollar defecit and he is doing a good job Ray Barcia-what are you smoking sir?
Posted by: john | April 4, 2011 2:05 PM
President Obama is informed, smart, and right on target with electric vehicles. EVs are about reducing vehicle emissions, reducing our dependence on petroleum and improving how we move goods and people around. They are quiet, clean and fun to drive. Europe and Asia are well underway with their EV adoption. President Obama and MD Governor O'Malley are keeping us globally competitive by advancing EV initiatives. EVs lead to new jobs. 200 of them were created to produce Volt transmissions for GM right here in Maryland. Putting our future first is more important than drill baby drill, and if you don't believe that, well, go smoke a tailpipe.
Posted by: Jill Sorensen | April 5, 2011 6:17 AM