One year after President Bush promised that new legislation would "take
pressure off price for American consumers," our
country finds itself in an energy crisis. Gas prices have risen 67 cents
and hover around record levels.
Crude oil prices are nearing $80 a barrel. BP announced the closure of its Prudhoe Bay operations in Alaska, causing
crude oil and gas prices to jump even further. While Americans continue
to suffer at the pump, multinational oil conglomerates are posting
three-month profits ranging from $7.3 billion for BP
and Shell to
$10.4 billion for Exxon Mobil. Americans are ready for a new direction. It is time for us to join
together and Kick the Oil Habit.
Our current appetite for oil consumption is unsustainable. As we
continue to pump millions of gallons of gasoline into our tanks and
billions of dollars into the pockets of oil executives, we are causing
irreparable harm to both national security and our environment. In
response, many are coming together in a new movement to demand an end to
our dependence on foreign oil. Kick the Oil Habit, an initiative of the Center
for American Progress, is promoting investment in clean, renewable
energy, including a new fuel that comes cornfields all across the
nation: E85. Made from 85% ethanol, E85 is a cheap, clean, and renewable source of homegrown energy
that provides Americans with an alternative to gasoline at the pump.
The fact is, our nation's energy crisis is worsening by the day.
However, we have all been presented with an opportunity to enact a
positive change in our world. Kick the Oil Habit has called on oil
companies to double
the number of E85 fuel pumps at gas stations this year, offer E85 at
half of all stations within the decade, and add more flexible fuel
vehicles to the 5 million on the road today. We can make this happen. We
can use greener fuel that will help the environment and invest in
American fuel and American farmers. Together, we will get our nation off
its oil crutch and Kick the Oil Habit.