Letter to President George W. Bush, Re: Chauffer-Driven Idling Government Towncars and SUVs

Letter

Letter to President George W. Bush, Re: Chauffer-Driven Idling Government Towncars and SUVs

GRASSLEY REVVED UP ABOUT CHAUFFER-DRIVEN IDLING GOVERNMENT TOWNCARS AND SUVS

In the wake of rising gas prices, Senator Chuck Grassley today urged President George Bush to commit the federal government to reduce wasteful energy consumption by turning off idling federal vehicles.

"I understand that in some instances the idling may be necessary, but when I walk out of the Capitol and see car after car with their engines running, it just looks to me like the federal government is out of touch. With sky-rocketing gas prices, Americans can't afford to run their car like gas grew on trees. The federal government should be leading by example, and doing what everybody else is doing: using less," Grassley said.

Here is a copy of the text of Grassley's letter to Bush.

July 10, 2008

The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Bush:

Hard-working Americans across the country are struggling to cope with the rising costs for energy. With crude oil at over $135 a barrel and gasoline averaging over $4.00 a gallon, Americans are spending ever more of their family budgets on transportation costs. In my travels across the state of Iowa, I've heard from farmers, small businesses, truck drivers and families who are desperately in need of help.

Because of the increased cost for fuel, American's are forced to take measures to reduce their consumption, either by driving less, combining errands, car pooling, or driving a more fuel efficient vehicle. These measures don't eliminate the burden of high gas prices, but they're small steps that can be taken to increase efficiency and reduce consumption. While people across the country are looking for ways to reduce their fuel burden by using less, the federal government doesn't appear to be taking the same steps to reduce wasteful energy consumption and save taxpayer money. I know you'll agree that the federal government should be leading in this area, not lagging.

Each and every day, there are likely dozens, if not hundreds of federal government SUVs and sedans idling for hours in Washington alone while waiting for their passengers. Some of the biggest culprits of this practice are vehicles attending to cabinet secretaries, deputy secretaries and assistant secretaries. I understand that in some cases the idling may be necessary. But, I would imagine that in an overwhelming majority of the situations there is no reason for a car or SUV to remain idling for hours on end. Surely there are simple and painless steps the federal government could take to do its part to reduce energy use, including eliminating this wasteful behavior.

Some might say these cases are a spit in the ocean of our energy problems, but the limousines and SUVs of high-level government leaders are important symbols of leadership and their actions are sending a message that they're out of touch. There are likely thousands of situations such as this where fuel is being wasted by federal employees who have never been instructed to use common sense to reduce fuel use in their daily job duties.

I hope you'll see fit to challenge the federal bureaucracy to look for ways to eliminate blatantly wasteful behavior that is costing the American taxpayer and also contributing to the high cost of fuel at the pump. I look forward to hearing the actions you intend to take to ensure the efficient use of fuel by federal government employees and vehicles. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,



Charles E. Grassley
United States Se

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