Strategies Would Support Chevy Volt, Other Electric Vehicles
LANSING – A Midwest Governors Association task force has recommended cleaner fuels and increased use of cleaner vehicles like the electric Chevy Volt to create jobs in Michigan and other Midwest states. The recommendations come in a report from a broad-based group that included government officials, business leaders and energy experts.
“Our report shows that cleaner fuel policies go hand in hand with our region’s economic and manufacturing strengths,” said Charles Griffith, Clean Vehicle and Fuels Director for the Ann Arbor-based Ecology Center and a task force member. “The same auto plant that makes the Chevy Volt employs over 1000 people in good-paying jobs.”
The task force, dubbed the Low Carbon Fuel Advisory Group to the MGA, proposed detailed designs for a regionally coordinated cleaner fuels policy to be adopted across the Midwest states. Additionally, the report contains specific recommendations for lowering the pollution in transportation fuels.
“Moving to lower carbon fuels not only reduces dependence on imported oil, but helps develop new economic opportunities in the advanced biofuel and electric vehicle industries,”
said Griffith. “For Michigan, advanced battery manufacturing and the Volt are vital to reducing pollution and revving our economic engine.”
The Advisory Group included a combination of state policymakers, business leaders–including the oil and gas industries–academic researchers, and environmental non-profits, and was charged by the MGA to come up with mutually acceptable recommendations for action to cut the carbon pollution from transportation fuels by 10 percent in 10 years.
A technical evaluation found that based on reasonable assumptions nearly a 15 percent cut in pollution could be achieved in the same time frame.
The Midwest is the leading producer of corn ethanol and soybean biodiesel, both of which can contribute to reductions in carbon pollution, an important factor in fighting climate change and improving air quality. The region also continues to be a leader in the development of next generation, clean-burning biofuels, from sources like wood waste and biogas, which benefit local economies. Michigan, with 11 or more projects in various stages of completion, leads the nation in advanced battery facilities.
The complete report is available here: www.midwesterngovernors.org/publications.htm.
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