Don’t toss that gas receipt! Turn it into a voice for fuel-efficient choices!

Congress is now back from recess for its final pre-election session—just in time to tackle the issue of high gas prices, which recent polls show are on Americans’ minds (and therefore on Senators’ and Reps’ minds as well). This final pre-election session is essentially a month-long opportunity for Congress to take a last real look at policy options before the November free-for all.

It’s up to us to keep heat on the Hill on gas prices—but ensure that heat is directed with a simple message about what Americans need to help ease pain at the pump. To borrow a tried and true electoral catch phrase, “It’s fuel-efficient choices, stupid!”

And what better way to keep gas prices and the need for real solutions in your senators’ faces than to actually send them a copy of your gas receipt! We’ve put it all together for you in a simple yet visceral action we’ve humbly titled “Receipt Revolution!”

Sending a gas receipt to your senators with a personal note calling for more fuel-efficient choices for all vehicle types can go a long way to remind them that this issue is personally pressing to their constituents. Getting your friends to do it too can really turn this “outside the box” activity into a statement Congress will not be able to ignore.

Of course, if you own a car that is not fuel efficient, the message on your receipt is pretty straightforward. But what about hybrid owners or those with more fuel-efficient models? A quick suggestion can be found here, but I also wanted to put my receipts where my mouth is and show you what I sent to my senators today. It’s a bit long-winded (as all of you who have been reading my blogs have undoubtedly come to expect), but the message—using a comparison between my Prius and my Saturn station wagon—is that every car, pickup, minivan, and SUV can—and should—be getting better fuel economy.

So no matter what you personally think about the price of gas, this is a great way to shape your senators’ approach to fuel-efficient vehicle choices in a direction that can help lead to real, positive change. So make sure to press “yes” when the pump asks you if you want a printed copy of your receipt, and help spread the message far and wide!

Posted by: ScottN

P.S. The mercurial nature of Congress’ attention span makes it all the more important we tell them that a temporary price drop in gas like we’re currently experiencing does NOT mean “mission accomplished” in the minds of their constituents.

Comments

[altfuels]

Those of us with natural-gas vehicles could also send in receipts showing, e.g., that during the past gas price peak I was paying $2.399 per gallon-equivalent of natural gas, and $3.399 per gallon of regular unleaded for the family minivan. Those of us with electric vehicles are kind of out in the cold, since they don't pay for individual fill-ups; I guess an electric bill showing a few cents per kWh for time-of-use-metered charging, or fifteen cents per kWh for the rest of us, plus a calculation showing that fuel costs are one-half to three cents per mile for an EV vs. seven or eight cents per mile for a Prius and 30-40 cents per mile for a Hummerrhoid, is a little too complicated for a "visceral action" (which I agree is, unfortunately, the best way to get Congress' attention). Anybody with a PV+EV setup (electric vehicle recharged from rooftop solar panels) could send in a net-metered electricity bill showing zero fuel cost! A nation with a vehicle fleet consisting of 100% hybrids (of the non-plug-in variety) is still a nation that's 100% addicted to oil.

[Jim]

It's actually a great idea, I live in Canada and I think I'll try to find out if anyone has initiated a similar program here. If not I'll give it a whirl.

Jim
Hybrid Car Advisor