Transportation

The EPA estimates we drive over three trillion miles a year, using 3.5 million barrels of oil per day.

There are 247.42 million registered vehicles in the U.S.

• 136.57 million (55.2%) are passenger vehicles
• 95.4 million (38.5%) are 2-axle 4-tire vehicles
• 6.4 million (2.9%) are single unit 2-axle 6-tire or more trucks
• 6.23 million (2.5%) are motorcycles
• 0.81 million (0.3%) are buses with various other vehicles making up the remainder

To go "Green"

• Choose vehicles that use of alternative fuels
• Ethanol
• Biodiesel
• Coal derived fuels
• Methane gas derived from landfills or coal mines
• Carpool or bike when possible
• Turn engine off when waiting for someone
• Make one trip to town for all errands

How Does Oil Impact The Environment? (1)

Products from oil (petroleum products) help us do many things. We use them to fuel our airplanes, cars, and trucks, to heat our homes, and to make products like medicines and plastics. Even though petroleum products make life easier - finding, producing, moving, and using them can cause problems for our environment like air and water pollution. Over the years, new technologies and laws have helped to reduce problems related to petroleum products. As with any industry, the government monitors how oil is produced, refined, stored, and sent to market to reduce the impact on the environment. Since 1990, fuels like gasoline and diesel fuel have also been improved so that they produce less pollution when we use them.

Exploring and drilling for oil may disturb land and ocean habitats. New technologies have greatly reduced the number and size of areas disturbed by drilling, sometimes called "footprints." Satellites, global positioning systems, remote sensing devices, and 3-D and 4-D seismic technologies, make it possible to discover oil reserves while drilling fewer wells. Plus, the use of horizontal and directional drilling make it possible for a single well to produce oil from much bigger areas. Today's production footprints are only about one-fourth the size of those 30 years ago, due to the development of movable drilling rigs and smaller "slimhole" drilling rigs. When the oil in a well is gone, the well must be plugged below ground, making it hard to tell that it was ever there. As part of the "rig-to-reefs" program, some old offshore rigs are toppled and left on the sea floor to become artificial reefs that attract fish and other marine life. Within six months to a year after a rig is toppled, it becomes covered with barnacles, coral, sponges, clams, and other sea creatures.

If oil is spilled into rivers or oceans it can harm wildlife. When we talk about "oil spills" people usually think about oil that leaks from ships when they crash. Although this type of spill can cause the biggest shock to wildlife because so much oil is released at one time, only 2 percent of all oil in the sea comes from ship or barge spills. The amount of oil spilled from ships dropped a lot during the 1990's partly because new ships were required to have a "double-hull" lining to protect against spills. While oil spills from ships are the most well-known problem with oil, more oil actually gets into water from natural oil seeps coming from the ocean floor. Or, from leaks that happen when we use petroleum products on land. For example, gasoline that sometimes drips onto the ground when people are filling their gas tanks, motor oil that gets thrown away after an oil change, or fuel that escapes from a leaky storage tank. When it rains, the spilled products get washed into the gutter and eventually go to rivers and the ocean. Another way that oil sometimes gets into water is when fuel is leaked from motorboats and jet skis.

A refinery is a factory where crude oil is processed into petroleum products. Because many different pollutants can escape from refineries into the air, the government monitors refineries and other factories to make sure that they meet environmental standards.

When a leak in a storage tank or pipeline occurs, petroleum products can also get into the ground, and the ground must be cleaned up. To prevent leaks from underground storage tanks, all buried tanks are supposed to be replaced by tanks with a double-lining. This hasn't happened everywhere yet. In some places where gasoline leaked from storage tanks, one of the gasoline ingredients called methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) made its way into local water supplies. Since MTBE made water taste bad and many people were worried about drinking it, a number of states banned the use of MTBE in gasoline, and the refining industry voluntarily moved away from using it when blending reformulated gasoline.

Gasoline is used in cars, diesel fuel is used in trucks, and heating oil is used to heat our homes. When petroleum products are burned as fuel, they give off carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that is linked with global warming. The use of petroleum products also gives off pollutants - carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and unburned hydrocarbons - that help form air pollution. Since a lot of air pollution comes from cars and trucks, many environmental laws have been aimed at changing the make-up of gasoline and diesel fuel so that they produce fewer emissions. These "reformulated fuels" are much cleaner-burning than gasoline and diesel fuel were in 1990. In the next few years, the amount of sulfur contained in gasoline and diesel fuel will be reduced dramatically so that they can be used with new, less-polluting engine technology.

Driving and Car Maintenance (2)

Transportation accounts for 66% of U.S. oil use — mainly in the form of gasoline. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to improve gas mileage.

Driving Tips (2)

• Idling gets you 0 miles per gallon. The best way to warm up a vehicle is to drive it. No more than 30 seconds of idling on winter days is needed. Anything more simply wastes fuel and increases emissions.
• Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration, and hard braking) wastes gas. It can lower your highway gas mileage 33% and city mileage 5%.
• Avoid high speeds. Above 60 mph, gas mileage drops rapidly. The fueleconomy.gov website shows how driving speed affects gas mileage.
• When you use overdrive gearing, your car's engine speed goes down. This saves gas and reduces wear.
• Using cruise control on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, will save gas.
• Use air conditioning only when necessary.
• Clear out your car; extra weight decreases gas mileage.
• Reduce drag by placing items inside the car or trunk rather than on roof racks. A roof rack or carrier provides additional cargo space and may allow you to buy a smaller car. However, a loaded roof rack can decrease your fuel economy by 5%.
• Check into telecommuting, carpooling and public transit to cut mileage and car maintenance costs.

Car Maintenance Tips

• Use the grade of motor oil recommended by your car's manufacturer. Using a different motor oil can lower your gasoline mileage by 1%-2%.
• Keep tires properly inflated and aligned to improve your gasoline mileage by around 3.3%.
• Get regular engine tune-ups and car maintenance checks to avoid fuel economy problems due to worn spark plugs, dragging brakes, low transmission fluid, or transmission problems.
• Replace clogged air filters to improve gas mileage by as much as 10% and protect your engine.
• Combine errands into one trip. Several short trips, each one taken from a cold start, can use twice as much fuel as one trip covering the same distance when the engine is warm.
• $ Long-Term Savings Tip: Consider buying a highly fuel-efficient vehicle. A fuel-efficient vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or an alternative fuel vehicle could save you a lot at the gas pump and help the environment. See the www.fueleconomy.gov for more on buying a new fuel-efficient car or truck.

Reduce Air Pollution Caused by Your Vehicle

Individual behavior really does help reduce air pollution.  Even seemingly small individual acts rapidly add up to improve the air we breathe.  Below are 10 actions you can take to reduce ground-level ozone (or smog) pollution and improve air quality.  Since heat and sunlight are important factors in ground-level ozone formation, ozone pollution is primarily a concern during daylight hours from April through October.  Fortunately, it tends to dissipate after sunset due to its unstable nature.

• Refuel your vehicle at night. Refueling your car producing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which, when mixed with heat and sunlight, work to create ground-level ozone.  TIP: Avoid topping off the tank when you do refuel.  Gasoline spillage evaporates into the air, emitting VOCs.
• Keep your vehicle maintained.  Cars that are tuned with properly inflated tires and new air filters not only use less gasoline, they also run cleaner.
• Explore alternate commute options.  Car pooling is a great alternative.  Sharing a ride takes one car off the road for every rider, improves air quality, and provides the opportunity to make new friends.
• Practice trip-chaining. Organize or combine several trips into one outing.  You will lessen the wear-and-tear on your car and keep it from experiencing cold starts.
• Avoid drive-through windows.  An idling engine emits VOCs and Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), both chemical factors in the formation of ground-level ozone when mixed with heat and sunlight.
• Limit your driving altogether.  Walk or ride a bicycle whenever possible.  It’s good exercise and it cuts down on traffic congestion, reducing exhaust emissions that help form ground-level ozone.

Learn more about air quality visit www.valleyairnow.com. Valley AIRNow is a unique public education and outreach program developed by the Northern Shenandoah Valley Air Quality Improvement Task Force (AQITF, or Task Force) to help reduce air pollution. The Task Force is a coalition of local governments, businesses, educational institutions, and civic and environmental organizations committed to improving air quality in the Northern Shenandoah Valley area through voluntary actions.

Additional Resources

• Center for Climate Change and Environmental Forecasting – www.climate.dot.gov
• Car Information (Mileage, Hybrids) – www.fueleconomy.gov
• Electric Vehicle Association of America – www.evaa.org

Reference Sources: back to top

1. "Petroleum (Oil)—A Fossil Fuel"
   www.eia.doe.gov
   May 2008. Energy Information Administration. 13 Aug. 2008 http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/non-renewable/oil.html#Whereweget
2. "Driving and Car Maintenance"
   www1.eere.energy.gov
   31 May 2008. U.S. Department of Energy – Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.  13 Aug. 2008
   http://www1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/driving.html
3. Valley AIRNow Air Quality Outreach Program of Winchester-Frederick County. (2007). "AIRQuality Action" [Brochure]