Three months after attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, as the nation is still grieving, environmentalists are confronted every day with an old challenge in a new form: We must reduce our national dependence on oil.

Americans' addiction to oil, both imported and domestic, makes less sense than ever before. Our oil dependence constrains our options, whether diplomatic or military, in the face of terrorism. It leaves our economy vulnerable to price shocks. And it invites environmental disaster, from the despoiling of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and other irreplaceable ecosystems to the escalation of global warming.

What we are hearing from many in Washington is that the answer is more drilling. Senator Craig Thomas (R-WY) has said that after September 11, what the nation needs is the pro-drilling energy plan drafted by Vice President Dick Cheney. In November, Senator Frank Murkowski (R-AK) threatened to filibuster any new legislation until the Senate voted on opening the Arctic Refuge for oil exploration. Why are we locked in battle over the refuge? Even if we drilled all the oil in the country, we could never end our dependence on foreign oil. The United States only has 3 percent of the world's oil reserves.

Let's get our priorities right. Do we stay dependent on OPEC, when we know we need to turn from oil? Do we give up places we care about, ecosystems that can't be replaced, when we know we should be moving to new technologies?

The right future for this country lies in a new direction. For thirty years, NRDC has been working to pave the way. We have crafted a national energy security plan that spells out how. Its cornerstone is reducing demand for gasoline -- the number one cause of our oil habit. Passenger cars use more than 40 percent of the oil consumed in America. The auto companies have it in their power to cut back on the nation's oil habit just by improving gas mileage. They have a responsibility to the nation and they must be held accountable. If they do not act on their own, Congress must force them to act.

In addition, Congress and the president should speed the transition to less driving and less oil use by taking several steps, such as: Reinvest in public transit. Build up the intercity rail system. Create tax incentives for low-polluting hybrid vehicles and fuel cell vehicles. Launch an Apollo Project -- with the kind of national investment and commitment that got us to the moon -- to make fuel cells workable in the here and now. (For information on writing, calling, and emailing the president and Congress to support these measures, see p. 47.)

The latest Gallup poll shows that, overwhelmingly, the nation wants these things. Ninety percent of Americans favor investments in solar, wind, and fuel cell technology. That is almost universal political support for an agenda that the country urgently needs -- for our economy, for our environment, and for our security.

John H. Adams
President