Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 2-3b. Domestic Motor Fuel Consumption
(Average miles per gallon)
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All Cars Vans Busses Trucks
Vehicles pickups (billion
SUVs gallons)
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1970 12.0 13.5 10.0 5.5 5.5
1975 12.2 14.0 10.5 5.8 5.6
1980 13.3 16.0 12.2 6.0 5.4
1990 16.4 20.3 16.1 6.4 6.0
1991 16.9 21.2 17.0 6.7 6.0
1993 16.7 20.6 17.4 6.6 6.1
1995 16.8 21.1 17.3 6.6 6.1
1997 17.0 21.5 17.2 6.7 6.4
1999 16.8 21.4 17.1 8.7 6.1
2003 17.6 22.3 17.7 6.9 6.1
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Toyota was the first auto company to announce, in 1998, that it was
joining others such as British Petroleum, Enron, United Technologies,
and Lockheed Martin in an alliance to fight global warming. Toyota is
supporting the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, which was started
with a $5 million grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts.
DuPont has reduced carbon emissions from its plants in the U.S. and
around the world by 67% since the Kyoto treaty appeared. The company
believes that these reductions have made their factories more efficient and
prepared their businesses for future markets of 2 to 5 decades from the
present.
Electric power companies are also making changes. American
Electric Power Company, one of the major utility giants in the country,
plans to build a $40-billion plant that uses coal gasification. The facility will
turn coal into synthetic gas before burning it, sharply reducing emissions
including carbon dioxide.
Coal gasification is more costly compared with conventional
coal-fired power generation. AEP says it is building a power plant that
considers environmental prospects over a 30-year life. General Electric has
a partnership with power plant builder Bechtel Group, Inc. to develop
a standard commercial design for gasified coal generating systems. GE
also acquired a subsidiary of Chevron Texaco that produces synthetic gas
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