Earth Equity News

Fuel Prices Challenge Cars' Reign. By Steven Mufson and David Cho, WashPost, June 10, 2008. "The average price of a gallon of gasoline nationally is now almost a dollar higher than it was a year ago, according to the Department of Energy... Nationwide, about 8% of Americans say they have changed their commuting patterns and are taking public transportation, according to a survey conducted by NPD Group, a market research firm. The same share of respondents said they would vacation closer to home this summer because of rising gas prices... According to the Federal Highway Administration, estimated vehicle miles traveled on U.S. roads for March fell 4.3%, or 11 billion miles, compared with March 2007. It was the first time that March travel on public roads fell since 1979 and the biggest yearly drop for any month in history."