EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Gasoline and diesel fuel purchases were off by more than 10 percent in the years 2004-2010 in Eugene, a city that wants to cut fossil fuel consumption in half by 2030.
The drop in fuel consumption was notable in Oregon. Statewide, the Register-Guard reports (http://bit.ly/v83jd0 ), fuel purchases were down 1.5 percent in the period. In next-door Springfield, the drop was 5.6 percent. In Eugene, the percentage was 11.3.
Among the reasons cited are the economic downturn and high gasoline prices, more efficient vehicles, rising use of public transit, bicycles and walking.
Gasoline dealers say it’s the city’s gasoline tax, highest in the state at 5 cents a gallon. They say that drives consumers outside city limits to fill up.
