RESPONDENTS WANT REQUIREMENTS FOR CLEANER CARS, TRUCKS AND FUELS



    SAN DIEGO, July 29 /EMWNews/ -- An overwhelming majority

of voters in seven Western states are concerned that gas prices will

continue to rise unless urgent action is taken to reduce oil consumption

and global warming emissions, according to a survey released by the Union

of Concerned Scientists (UCS) presented today at the last public

stakeholder meeting of the Western Climate Initiative (WCI) in San Diego,

CA.



    The poll results reveal strong voter demand for aggressive policies by

the WCI to reduce transportation emissions. Large majorities support state

action to reduce global warming pollution by requiring automakers to

produce more efficient cars that pollute less and use less gasoline (88

percent) and oil companies to make cleaner fuels (81 percent).



    Even if the price of gasoline drops in the short term, 95 percent of

voters surveyed in Arizona, California, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah

and Washington say that immediate action is needed to avoid a future

crisis, and 91 percent say it is critical to end U.S. dependence on oil.

Meanwhile, 83 percent of the respondents say that gas prices are going to

rise over the long run unless the auto industry produces cars and trucks

that run on less gas, alternative fuels or electricity.



    "Voters are demanding that their state leaders move further and faster

to reduce our dependence on oil and the global warming emissions that

dependency produces," said Patricia Monahan, deputy director for UCS' Clean

Vehicles, who will present the poll results and urge policymakers to

include transportation solutions under the region's pending plan to reduce

global warming pollution. "Our survey found that Westerners astutely

understand the need to transition from oil to clean, renewable fuels to

avoid a future crisis triggered by escalating gas prices."



    While 59 percent of the survey respondents say that current gasoline

prices have caused some or great financial hardship, large majorities are

concerned with gas prices now (94 percent), gas prices in the future (93

percent), U.S. dependency on oil (94 percent), and a lack of a plan to

transition from oil (89 percent).



    Seventy-six percent of the respondents who are planning to buy a car or

light truck say they are likely to shop for an alternative fuel vehicle, a

hybrid or a vehicle that gets much higher gas mileage. Eighty-four percent

agree that cars, trucks and other transportation sources should be required

to reduce their greenhouse gas pollution along with power plants and

factories. Majorities in most states -- while region wide slightly less

than half of total respondents -- support a significant increase in gas

prices (as much as 50 cents per gallon) to invest in energy efficiency and

alternative fuels. Nearly two-thirds of the respondents (63 percent)

support new fees on oil companies to be used for improving public

transportation.



    UCS recommends that the WCI establish a cap on emissions from

transportation and implement policies to get cleaner cars and fuels in the

hands of western consumers.



    The survey was commissioned by UCS, funded by the Energy Foundation,

and conducted by David Binder Research, which polled 2003 voters in the

seven states from July 19 to 23. The poll has a 2.2 percent margin of

error.



    Founded in 1969, the Union of Concerned Scientists is the leading

science-based nonprofit organization working for a healthy environment and

a safer world. The organization is headquartered in Cambridge,

Massachusetts, and also has offices in Berkeley, Chicago and Washington,

D.C. For more information, go to http://www.ucsusa.org.