Kick The Oil Habit

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.