Lives Per Gallon

[Amazon 7]

http://www.livespergallon.org/

The True Cost of Our Oil Addiction
by Terry Tamminen

As Special Advisor to Governor Schwarzenegger and former head of the California EPA, Terry Tamminen has been an architect of America’s most progressive energy independence plans.

He recognizes that America’s addiction to oil is taking a huge toll on our health, environment, and national security and that oil and automobile companies have conspired for decades to hide the damage their products have done to America and the world.

In Lives Per Gallon, Tamminen takes a hard look at the real costs hidden in every barrel of oil:

Direct health care costs from petroleum pollution total an estimated $54.7 billion per year.

Diesel exhaust causes more than 125,000 cases of cancer in the United States each year.

We spend between $55 billion and $96 billion per year to secure our global oil supply, not including the more than $100 billion spent annually in Iraq.

Expectant mothers in Los Angeles exposed to high levels of smog were three times more likely to have babies with physical deformities.
Lives Per Gallon is a diagnosis of our petroleum problem and a prescription for change. The choice is clear: continuing paying with our health, or kick our addiction and evolve beyond an oil-dependent economy. By forcing corporate giants to pay the true cost of their business practices, whether in the courtroom or the court of public opinion, the economics change in favor of more sustainable, healthier products.



I just heard an interview with this guy and WOW.. definitely something to mull over and discuss.

[waltappel 1]

The countdown for getting moved to Speakers Corner begins....

Walt

[Amazon 7]

Hey its not neccesarily SC fare....but it does give something to think about now dont it there Texas boy

[billvon 2,476]

Jeanie, stop posting this stuff in Bonfire.

[idrankwhat 0]

I wonder what he thinks about the cleaner diesels these days. I think it's a step in the right direction. But this reminds me of something I read last year about fuel cell cars. Apparently the reason that we weren't expected to see many of those in the near future was because the necessary infrastructure would cost about $12 billion to put in place. For perspective, what's that equate to......2 months in Iraq? Priorities priorities.

[ahegeman 0]

I think that what would work better than government subsidies for alternative fuels and other assorted mucking about would just be to use the fuel tax to reflect all these negative externalities. Let the market figure it out from there.

Of course, adding a buck or so per gallon to the gas tax would be political suicide for whoever initiated it.

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There is a fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'.
--Dave Barry