Amazing... I found an article that states California uses more gasoline than China.

http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2...g-stat-ca.html

This really makes me wonder if energy independence might be as simple as getting all the gas guzzlers off the road. No need to drill for oil off our coasts or destroy some of the most pristine, untouched areas of our country to achieve energy independence.

Thoughts?

Can you document energy indepence will occur with just the removal of gas guzzlers? As American Motors use to advertise "what is a gas guzzler?"

It is great to know that pristine China has 16 of the top 20 most polluted cities in the world. China has already surpassed the USA in greenhouse emissions and should surpass it by 20% within a few years! The inconvenient truth: http://futurist.typepad.com/my_weblo...onvenient.html
Less than 15% of China’s coal plants have desulphurization systems which contributes strongly to acid rain. http://www.wikinvest.com/concept/Chi...ower_Pollution

2005 AWD Escape Hybrid
Best Interstate tank trip MPG 39.02 (scangauge II) for 402 miles on I-70, 10.3 gallons used over mostly flat terrain. Aug. 2007

Best Interstate tank trip E30 MPG 34.6 for 271 miles along I-80 in Indiana and Ohio. May 2008

Best multiple road tank trip E30 MPG 36.2 for 202 miles in Southwestern Pa. July 2008.

I said that I wondered if we could achieve independence by removing the guzzlers, I never said that I had documented evidence. But, wouldn't you agree that having a more efficient fleet of cars nationwide would do great things towards achieving energy independence?

I define a gas guzzler as anything that gets less than 20MPG on the highway, and I'm not counting those that need a guzzler to get their job done - contractors, etc.

Its a nice first step, but we burn too much energy with lighting, heating, cooling, etc to be energy independent by just removing gas guzzlers. You are saving a percentage of use... on a percentage of total use. We just don't produce much oil in this country, don't have many reserves and burn it like its going out of style (which is rapidly is actually)

This article is what is known as FUD. Mixing lots of stats:

• compare China's gas usage to Californias gas AND DIESEL usage?
• suggest that California has a 50% increase in gas consumption since 1988. from EIA: 1988=13.2B, 2007=14.9B or 13% not too bad since the population grew 24M to 37M in that time frame.
• they also forget to mention that China's consumption is expected to grow 8.4% this year and that California's consumption has declined to below 2004 levels and currently (2008) at 7% below the peak consumption in 2006.

Of course those FACTs wouldn't support the agenda of the article.

We could make a huge dent in the world carbon footprint by buying up the suburbans, chevy pickups and such that might normally go to the wreckers and delivering them to the eastern block countries who are still using trucks built in the 30's and 40's. We'd be rid of them and the eastern block folks would have quadrupled their efficiency and really lowered their pollution output.

I'm glad that I'll be allowed to keep my 21 mpg hwy Dodge Ram according to this plan. Amazing how the price of oil dropped $18/barrel just after Pres Bush lifted all the off-shore drilling bans. Now if Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid and the rest of the Democrats did the same. I bet we'd see $70/barrel prices by the end of the year. That would boost the economy just in time for Barack to take over and claim all the credit.

2008 Galaxy Gray Honda Civic Hybrid