For immediate release, April 17, 2008

Media contact: Elisa Murray, elisa@sightline.org, 206-447-1880, ext. 111

Author: Clark Williams Derry, clark@sightline.org, 206-447-1880, ext. 106

• Go to the press release
• Download the report: Braking News

• We’re guzzling less gas. Measured per capita, gasoline consumption in the Pacific Northwest states has fallen to its lowest level since 1966. Per-person gas consumption in the region has declined in seven of the last eight years; and climate-warming CO2 emissions from gasoline have fallen by six-tenths of a ton per capita in the region since 1999. That decline in per capita gasoline consumption—11 percent, overall—is the equivalent of every driver in the Northwest taking a five-week holiday from driving in 2007.
• We’re shifting our travel habits. Prompted by rising gas prices, drivers and families have taken steps to conserve fuel on multiple fronts. Throughout the Pacific Northwest, transit ridership has increased steadily; new vehicle efficiency has improved modestly; and transit- and pedestrian-friendly development has made strides in our major cities.
• We’re growing. Rising population has almost exactly offset the decline in per capita gas consumption—meaning that total gasoline sales and gasoline-related greenhouse gas emissions have remained roughly flat in the region for nine consecutive years.
• Smart policies are key to further progress. The right policy environment— such as including transportation fuels in a regional cap-and-trade system— would prompt continued reductions in our region’s gasoline consumption.