Synopses & Reviews
How much would you pay for a gallon of gas? $4.00? $10.00? Would you pay with the health of your lungs or with years taken from your lifespan? The infamous "pain at the pump" runs much deeper than our wallets, argues Terry Tamminen, former Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency and current Special Advisor to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Petroleum may power our cars and heat our homes, but it also contributes to birth defects and disorders like asthma and emphysema, not to mention cancer. In
Lives per Gallon, Tamminen takes a hard look at these and other health, environmental, and national security costs hidden in every barrel of oil.
While the petroleum industry is raking in huge profits, Tamminen shows, it is studiously avoiding measures that would lessen the hazards of its products. Using the successful lawsuits by state governments against big tobacco as a model, the author sets forth a bold strategy to hold oil and auto companies accountable and force industry reform. He also offers a blueprint for developing alternative energy sources based on California's real world experiences.
Certain to be controversial, Lives per Gallon is an unblinking assessment of the true price of petroleum and a prescription for change. The choice is clear: continuing paying with our health, or kick our addiction and evolve beyond an oil-dependent economy.
Review
"America's prosperity, our independence and security, our democracy and our ideals, our international leadership and national pride are all dependent on our breaking our lethal oil addiction. Terry Tamminen has turned the spotlight of clarity on the defining issue of our age." Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., President, Waterkeeper Alliance
Review
"Tamminen does more than point to the problems. He lays out step-by-step solutions to ending our oil addiction. I only wish that all members of Congress would read this book." Dick Morris, Fox News political analyst and former advisor to President Clinton
Review
"The book reads like a gangster thriller, while providing detailed and painful truths about how much the oil and auto industries have controlled development (or lack thereof) in the U.S....a definite 'must read' for anyone interested in improving America's future and national security." Jonathan Patz, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and Population Health Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Review
"Crude is, sadly, much more than a fad, and our energy-intense lifestyle is more than the handiwork of deceitful oil and car companies. If only it were so easy." Washington Post
Synopsis
The infamous "pain at the pump" runs much deeper than our wallets, argues Terry Tamminen, former Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency and current Special Advisor to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Petroleum may power our cars and heat our homes, but it also contributes to birth defects and disorders like asthma and emphysema, not to mention cancer. In
Lives Per Gallon, Tamminen takes a hard look at these and other health, environmental, and national security costs hidden in every barrel of oil.
While the petroleum industry is raking in huge profits, Tamminen shows, it is studiously avoiding measures that would lessen the hazards of its products. Using the successful lawsuits by state governments against big tobacco as a model, the author sets forth a bold strategy to hold oil and auto companies accountable and force industry reform. He also offers a blueprint for developing alternative energy sources based on California's real-world experiences.
Certain to be controversial, Lives Per Gallon is an unblinking assessment of the true price of petroleum and a prescription for change. The choice is clear: continuing paying with our health, or kick our addiction and evolve beyond an oil-dependent economy.
Synopsis
Lives Per Gallon is a searing indictment of Americas oil economy and a powerful prescription for change. With tales of corporations knowingly exposing citizens to poisonous chemicals, conspiring to derail public transportation, and purposely disabling their own pollution controls, Terry Tamminen builds a powerful case against powerful industries. And he shows how demanding accountability could help pave the road to sustainable energy. Offering real-world
solutions, Tamminen poses a vital challenge: kick the oil habit or continue paying in lives per gallon.
About the Author
Terry Tamminen is a leading expert on pools and spas, serving as technical advisor on a variety of water chemistry and pool technology projects. He is the executive director of Environment Now, working with activist organizations such as the Santa Monica Bay Keeper and the San Diego Bay Keeper, dedicated to preserving and protecting coastal resources in California.
Table of Contents
Prologue: The Origin of the Specious
Chapter 1. The Breath of Our Fathers
Chapter 2. A Losing Proposition
Chapter 3. Desperate Enterprise
Chapter 4. All That Glitters
Chapter 5. Wealth Seems Rather to Possess Them
Chapter 6. Worse Poison to Men's Souls
Chapter 7. 2025A Future without Oil
Chapter 8. The Quality of MercyOil on Trial
Epilogue: The Seventh Generation
Notes
Bibliography
Index