Gas guzzlers begone!

Published 8:00 pm Saturday, September 23, 2006

The island is flush with fuel-efficient cars and local efforts that support them.

These stories are the first of a two-part series on alternative energy and transportation. Wednesday: Electric cars, and choosing your own alternative energy vehicle.

Rep. Jay Inslee only has to drive trough his east Winslow neighborhood for proof of a growing interest in cleaner-burning and energy efficient vehicles.

“You should see my street – there’s five gray Priuses parked just on Hawley Way,” the Congressman said with a laugh. “It’s the Prius capitol of the world.”

One of those gas-electric hybrid coupes is parked in Inslee’s driveway. Inslee uses his 55-miles-a-gallon Toyota to tool around Winslow during his breaks from hammering out legislation in Washington D.C.

His weekend drives on the island bolster his view that alternative energy sources have a bright future in a nation that has dimmed its skies under the cloud of fossil fuels.

Inslee’s vision gains clarity when he spots three-wheeled electric cars humming along island roads. He gathers inspiration when he idles next to hefty four-wheeled drive rigs revving out exhaust tinged with the scent of vegetable oil.

“Global warming is a concern at national, state, municipal and individual levels,” said Inslee, who is seeking reelection this November over Republican challenger Larry Ishmael. “People on Bainbridge are making individual choices because they know we have a planetary emergency on our hands.”

Sustainable Bainbridge member and island resident Barry Peters agrees that personal choices can significantly impact environmental health. That’s why he organized a forum on alternatives to gas-guzzling vehicles.

The event, held on Tuesday, featured a local producer of biodiesel, a processed fuel derived from plant oils (see related story), and islanders who drive emissions-free electric cars.

“There’s so many good ways to make choices that put you on the track to having a more sustainable lifestyle,” Peters said. “People are becoming more aware of alternatives to high gas prices and contributing to global warming.”

The forum was instructive, even to its organizer.

“What was important to me was realizing that there’s not just one alternative, there are several,” Peters said.

A multifaceted approach toward cleaner-burning fuels has been in the works for years on Bainbridge.

The island leads the state with the first fleet of firefighting vehicles revamped with new, cleaner-burning diesel technology. The city recently purchased a handful of hybrid cars, to both save tax dollars and reduce tailpipe toxins.

State Sen. Phil Rockefeller, a Bain­bridge Democrat, has shepherded numerous pieces of legislation through state government for stricter auto emissions standards and incentives for increased use of plant-derived renewable fuels, such as biodiesel and ethanol.

Rockefeller’s bio-fuel measure, which was enacted this year, established a Washington Department of Agriculture loan program that helps finance the construction of facilities used to convert farm products, such as rapeseed, into gaseous or liquid fuels. These bio-fuels burn cleaner than oil and coal, releasing fewer toxins into the air.

Numerous seed crushing and biodiesel refining facilities have already taken advantage of the loan program, including ones administered by the port authorities of Sunnyside, Whitman and Warden; the Tulalip Tribe; and Spokane County.

“I think there’s great potential for this in this state,” said Rockefeller on Thursday. “It makes possible loans to companies that can fill gaps in our system. It’s a win-win situation for them, for some of our agricultural communities in Eastern Washington that grow the product and also for consumers concerned about having a cleaner environment.”

Inslee has introduced what he calls “the most aggressive and comprehensive bill” in Congress aimed at increasing the nation’s self-sufficincy though increased use of alternative energies.

Called “the New Apollo Project,” Inslee’s wide-ranging bill would provide investment tax credits for retooling domestic automotive and aerospace plants for the manufacturing of fuel-efficient and alternative-fueled vehicles and commercial airplanes.

The bill would establish consumer tax credits for clean energy products to promote hybrid, biodiesel and electric cars.

Of the many efforts islanders put into the use and promotion of alternative energy vehicles, Inslee says one of the strongest statements comes from their votes.

“Bainbridge sent one of its sons to Congress who is one of the leading advocates of proposing these types of solutions,” he said of the island’s continued support for his role as representative of the 1st Congressional District.

“That’s not a small thing. People here see the huge leaps in technology and want to take advantage of them.”