Mike Opat
House of Representatives
300 S. 6th St.
A2400 Government Center
Minneapolis, MN 55487-0241
Phone: 612-348-7881
VOTE YES ON: H.R. 3271: Green Routes to Work Act
Dear Mr. Opat,
The proposed bill, H.R. 3271: Green Routes to Work Act, is in critical need of being passed. This bill works at finding better ways to improve commuting and transportation options. Our current forms of transportation are producing excessive greenhouse gas emissions and must be reduced. By passing this bill, we will be working towards a greener environment. The most recent updates on the amount of CO2 emissions shows that the United States is at the highest level over all other countries. This is an issue that is obviously affecting all americans, and providing greener ways of transportation for employees would be a great start to reducing this statistic.
Benefits will be provided to employees as an incentive to taking commuter vans to their destinations. With our depleting supply of oil, action must be taken on finding ways of slowing this process. Providing employees with transportation will promote other forms of green transportation for other situations as well. I think that this act is exactly what we need in order to pave a way towards saving our environment. Not only will it be saving our precious clean air, but it will save employees money usually spent on gasoline. It is a convenient alternative to commuting to work, and reduces the amount of unnecessary driving.
Opponents of this bill might not want to pay taxes that goes towards funding these commuting programs. Though taxes might have to increase a little, there are also benefits offered to those commuting responsibly. In addition, people will be saving money on gas spent traveling.
We appreciate your support on developing a transit network in Minneapolis, and of smart public works projects. I see that you're very dedicated to making this environment green, and I encourage you to vote "yes" on H.R. 3271.
FACTS ABOUT GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
Nation Master shows that the United States ranks number one in CO2 emission levels just above China.
- United States has 5,762,050 with China at 3,473,600. Almost double of what China produces.
- 19.22 tonnes/year per person
CO2 is naturally removed from the carbon cycle, but humans excess production of it is faster than what nature can remove.
Combustion of fossil fuels is the largest contributor of CO2 emissions.
It's really sad that we have the highest amount of C02 emissions in the world. It does make sense though because we seem to use individual transportation more often and create many products. However, I agree with you that this bill needs to be passed. We need to start making a change today!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe that the US produces the highest amount of CO2! We use certain kinds of transportation based on convenience. Instead of planning more time to walk/ride the bus/rideshare we are just hopping into our cars and driving. I agree that we need to make a change and I would vote YES to this bill!
ReplyDeleteIts amazing to see that we almost twice as much Co2 as China! You have some pretty interesting facts that show just how important this issue is and why it needs to be dealt with. I've heard somewhere else also that we are producing more Co2 than our environment can do away with, we all need to start doing our part to reduce this before it is too late!
ReplyDeleteI found your very last fact very intriguing. It's true, we humans as consumers are taking too much than what nature can give back to us. It kind of falls in place with lots of the topics we've covered throughout the semester. This bill should definitely be a high priority for us an entire nation.
ReplyDeleteYou would think with the amount of people and vehicles in China that they would outrank us in CO2 emissions! I was shocked when I read that. Your facts provide a great backup to this bill. I would definitely vote YES.
ReplyDeleteI agree, it's BAD when our country produces almost double of China when they are what double our size, even more? We look like a selfish country! It just hits you when you read this statistics, like every 5.3 seconds that is a lot of emissions!
ReplyDelete