|
|
| |
| Wed, Aug. 20, 2008 |  |
 |
|
||
| |
Initiative launched to help drivers on fuel costs Wednesday, May 21, 2008 By Aaron Sadler Stephens Washington Bureau WASHINGTON - The father of 15-year-old triplets with driving permits now in hand, Wal-Mart's Ray Bracy has no time to wait for the government to ease the dramatic impact of gas prices on his wallet. Neither does Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., who learned through an initiative launched Tuesday that he can pocket $477 a year on fuel costs for his 2003 Ford Taurus. Congress is making some effort to help ease gas prices now near $4 per gallon, Pryor said. Yet he acknowledged that he sees no clear end to the crisis. "There's nobody out there saying that this is a temporary problem," he said. "No one knows exactly when this is going to end and how long this goes on. And it's really having a detrimental effect on our families and our economy." So Pryor and Bracy looked to the "Drive Smarter Challenge," an Internet-based project that offers fuel efficiency tips. Bracy, chief lobbyist for Wal-Mart Stores Inc., has a family of four teenagers in Bentonville. He said he would save at least $1,500 annually on gas if he implements a few simple cost-saving measures. Those measures include steps like driving the speed limit, walking or biking on short trips and making sure tires are properly inflated. And they are among the suggestions offered at www.drivesmarterchallenge.org, the site created by the Alliance to Save Energy. Pryor is an honorary chairman of the nonprofit group that advocates energy efficiency. The Wal-Mart Foundation is a major contributor to the "Drive Smarter" project. Fliers with money-saving suggestions will be available at every Wal-Mart tire center, alliance officials said. And Pryor said he would attach a link to the "Drive Smarter" Web site on his e-mails and correspondence. The Web site calculates dollar savings based on the type of vehicle a user drives. It offers coupons for automobile-related services as an incentive for users to the site. Also, it provides information on carpooling and public transportation. Bracy said Wal-Mart's trucking fleet is 20 percent more cost-efficient as a result of fuel-economy improvements. Wal-Mart would not disclose just how much the retail giant saves annually as a result. By installing auxiliary power units on every truck in its 7,000-truck fleet, Bracy said Wal-Mart has saved 10 million gallons of diesel fuel. The power units operate, instead of the engine, when trucks are idling. If Americans take similar steps to improve fuel efficiency, they can expect significant cost savings as well, Bracy said. If just the 1.3 million Wal-Mart employees nationwide participated, the "savings would be phenomenal," he said. "Our foundation decided this program ... made a lot of sense," Bracy said. The Web site tallies how much money saved and how much pollution curbed by the cost-cutting techniques implemented by those who take the challenge. However, leaders of the initiative said they did not know just how much impact, if any, the program will have on current gas prices. But saving anything makes some difference, said Red Cavaney, president of the American Petroleum Institute. "Every bit of spare or surplus capacity is a value here," said Cavaney, who blamed increase demand for oil for the gas price spike. "Every bit of surplus capacity is going to be helpful to the consumer." Pryor said Congress' move last week to stop oil deposits in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve should help build supply. A Senate committee Tuesday looked into manipulation of the commodities market, another possible cause for pain at the pump, he said. "It's not a mess that's going to be fixed in Washington overnight," said Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn. Wamp also attended the news conference to announce the Web site rollout. On the Web: www.drivesmarterchallenge.org |
