Shahla Werner, Director, Sierra Club – John Muir Chapter222 South Hamilton St, #11, Madison, WI 53703(608) 256-0565, shahla.werner@sierraclub.org

http://www.wisconsin.sierraclub.org

Moving Wisconsin Beyond Oil to Clean Transportation

The Sierra Club

Founded in 1892 by John Muir, Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States.

1.4 million members & supporters

Mission: To explore, enjoy, and protect the wildplaces of the earth; to practice and promote theresponsible use of the earth's ecosystems andresources; to educate and enlist humanity toprotect and restore the quality of the naturaland human environment; and to use all lawfulmeans to carry out these objectives.

Sierra Club – John Muir Chapter15,000 members & supporters in WI, 6 local

groups, 3 special activity sections: River Touring

Section, Inner City Outings and Sierra Student

Coalition

Executive Committee: 15 volunteers

Staff: Director - Shahla Werner

Chapter Coordinator - Jacinda Tessmann

Conservation Programs Coordinator -Elizabeth

Ward

Priorities: Beyond Coal to Clean Energy, Beyond

Oil to Clean Transportation; Protecting Water;

Blocking Destructive Mining Safeguards;

Protecting Native Forests & Wildlife

US Greenhouse Gas SourcesCommercial and

Residential11.00%

Agriculture8.00%

Electricity33.00%

Transportation28.00%

Industry 20.00%

• Transportation is the 2nd Largest Source of GHG

- EPA Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2012

The United States Uses 28,000 Barrels of Oil Every 2 Min

US uses 19.6 million barrels oil / day (7,154 million barrels/year

in 2010), 22% of the world’s total. (1 Barrel = 42 gallons)

How Can YOU Reduce Oil Dependence?

Oppose Unnecessary, Costly Highway Spending

Ride the Bus, and Support Increased investments in public transportation

Bike, and Support bike paths, Bike Sharing & Rental Programs.

Walk, Support Safe Routes to School & Mixed Use Urban Areas that

Reduce the Need to Drive

Drive An Electric or Hybrid, Carpool, Combine Trips, &

Use Low Carbon Fuels

New Standards Requiring Vehicles to Get at least 54.5 miles /gallon by 2025 will save about $1.7 trillion at the gas pump, cut US oil use by 12 billion barrels (504 billion gallons), and prevent emissions of 6 billion metric tons of carbon pollution

Good News: Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) are Already Declining in Wisconsin (slightly)

Total vehicle miles traveled in 2013 was lower than it was in 2003. Milwaukee and Madison had 21% and 18% drops, respectively, in in per-capita vehicle miles traveled between 2006 and 2011

Young People Are Leading The Way in Reducing Oil Dependence

Source: Transportation and the New Generation, US.PIRG and Frontier Group, 2012

Between 2001-09, people aged 16-34 drove 23% less. Shift is due to social networking, higher gas prices, car costs, environmental concern, and convenience.

Driving Wisconsin’s Brain Drain: Young Professionals Seek Transit

60% of respondents said they

would be more likely to stay in

Wisconsin if they could live in a city

with options other than a car

84% of respondents said that

having transportation options is

important to them

Wisconsin could lose young

professionals if we fail to offer

efficient transportation options

WI Seniors Need Transit to Maintain Mobility

53% of senior non-drivers are home bound.

Men outlive their driving ability by 6 years; Women outlive driving ability by 10 years.

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Big-ticket highway projects Transit funding

State highway rehabilitation Local road and bridge assistance

We are Driving Less, but WisDOT Keeps Expanding Highways, While Shortchanging Transit & Local Roads

Highways52%

Debt5%

Local Roads14%

General Aids19%

Transit6%

Other4%

Highways54%

Debt16%

Local Roads

6%

General Aids14%

Transit5%

Other5%

2000 2013

Wisconsin’s Growing Funding Imbalance

The General Transportation Aids (GTA) program, funded by gas tax and vehicle registration fees, enables local governments to receive state aid payments to offset the cost of county and municipal road construction, maintenance, and traffic operations.

Road Overkill: Wisconsin Spends Big on Highways, Even as Driving Declines

WISDOT vastly overestimated traffic projections to justify seven recently completed highways that cost taxpayers over a billion dollars

Wisconsinites are driving less per capita today than we did in 2003

"Wisconsinites are choosing to walk, bike, take transit, and otherwise limit the amount of driving they are doing,” said Elizabeth Ward of the John Muir Chapter of the Sierra Club. “Our budget needs to reflect these values, not the values of the campaign donors.

http://www.wispirg.org/reports/wip/road-overkill

WisDOT’s Billion Dollar Boondoggle

WisDOT wants to expand a 3 mile section of I-94 near Marquette University constructed in 1963 that needs upgrades. WisDOT proposes expanding the highway from 6 to 8 lanes by making 2 shoulders into lanes or building a double decker highway for $1.2 billion.

Rather than rebuilding for $370 million, WisDOT’s expansion wastes tax dollars, increases pollution, bisects neighborhoods, and desecrates 3 cemeteries. This project will divert funds away from the repair of local roads, bridges and transit.

WisDOT claims current traffic volume will increase from 138,000 – 156,000 AADT (Average Annual Daily Traffic) to 171,000 to 181,000 by 2030. WisDOT’s own data show that traffic in this area has been dropping, rather than increasing on this stretch of road between 2010-12.

WisDOT’s Billion Dollar Boondoggle

Attend the Public Hearing!

Public Hearing on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement of proposed I-94 East-West Corridor alternatives

Wed, Dec. 3, 2014, 3 - 7 p.m., Tommy Thompson Youth Center, Wisconsin State Fair Park, Gate #5, 640 S. 84th Street, Milwaukee, WI, or Thurs., Dec. 4, 2014, 5 - 8 p.m., Marquette University High School, 3401 W. Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee

Written comments must be postmarked by Jan. 15, 2015. More info at: http://www.dot.state.wi.us/projects/seregion/94stadiumint/public.htm

The Power of Transit to Reduce Oil Use

If Americans used public transportation at the same rate as Europeans -for roughly 10 % of their daily travel needs - the United States would reduce its dependence on imported oil by more than 40 percent or nearly the amount of oil we import from Saudi Arabia each year.

- Dr. Robert Shapiro and Dr. Kevin Hassett in the report Conserving Energy and Preserving the Environment: The Role of Public Transportation

Clean Transportation Offers Environmental Benefits & More

• Fewer Climate Change Emissions• Reduced dependence on Tar Sands and Offshore Drilling• Reduced Need for Foreign Wars • Cleaner air• Healthier People (Less Asthma and Childhood Obesity)• Stronger Economy: Every $1 spent on public transit

provides a $3.44 economic return to the state (WisDOT)• Saving Money on Gas• Less wasted time in traffic, Fewer car crashes • Increased Mobility for Seniors

Help Reduce Wisconsin’s Oil Dependence• Support Transportation Budget Reform: Now that our

constitution has been amended to segregate Transportation Funds, it is more important than ever to keep transit in this fund, question highway spending, and push for increased transit funding in the 2015-17 budget.

• Stop Wasteful Highway Expansions: Write a Letter to the Editor opposing the billion dollar boondoggle, Attend WisDOThearings, ‘Like’ the Coalition for More Responsible Transportation on Facebook www.facebook.com/CMRTWI and follow WiCMRT on Twitter

• Advocate for local transportation solutions that meet the needs of Wisconsin’s population, from millennials who are opting to drive less to seniors, disabled and low-income individuals who depend on transit for mobility

Thank You!

Let’s protect Wisconsin for future generations! Help us work for clean transportation today!