The US addiction to oil: The battered Hummer

[Aurora]

http://environment.independent.co.uk/cl ... 785468.ece

The Independent - 20/07/07

With the sun going down on Brandywine Street and the lawn sprinklers hissing gently in the background, worried groups of neighbours are talking quietly about a shocking act of domestic terrorism that has occurred on their doorsteps.

They chat on the porches of their clapboard colonial-style houses in the dappled early evening light. Some have just returned from the nearby Whole Foods organic store and one worried-looking family pulls up in a Prius. Children pour out carrying musical instruments after attending their lesson.

The scene may appear as a Norman Rockwell work, but Brandywine Street in a suburb of Washington DC is now on the frontline of America's fractious debate about climate change.

Early on Monday morning, two masked men arrived there wielding baseball bats and a machete. They then set about attacking the enormous Hummer that had been parked there for not even a week. As the owner, Gareth Groves, slept, they smashed every window, battered the panels, slashed the oversized tires and scrawled "for the environ" on the side of the seven-foot-high behemoth.

The attackers caused about $12,000 (?6,000) worth of damage before running into the night. As an act of eco-vandalism, it was not as spectacular as previous episodes in the US. A couple of years ago three environmental activists firebombed several Hummer and 4x4 dealerships in California. One of them is now serving an eight-year jail term in a federal prison and two others are on the run from the FBI.

The argument over Hummers and vehicles like them go all the way to the White House. For the past 20 years car manufacturers have successfully blocked attempts to force them to become more efficient.

Curiously, while opinion polls reveal that given an option, three-quarters of Americans want dramatic increases in fuel efficient cars, they prefer to buy gas-guzzling Hummers, Cadillacs and behemoth-sized pickup trucks instead. Thirty years ago "light trucks", as 4x4 vehicles are classified, were only a fifth of all sales. Today they account for more than half. And in June, according to the latest figures from General Motors, the world's largest car manufacturer, Hummer sales were up by 11 per cent.

As the New Yorker magazine put it: "We buy gas guzzlers, but we vote for gas sipping."

Americans who think little of getting into a three-ton 4x4 for a run to the supermarket, also want Congress and the White House to clamp down on their sale. But with the lobbying strength of the US car industry, that seems unlikely to happen.

Last month, the Senate passed an energy bill that for the first time in nearly 20 years would have forced an improvement in the fuel efficiency of cars and 4x4s. But it became dead in the water because of the intervention of the Michigan Congressman John Dingell, who could fairly be described as friendly to the car lobby. He wanted fuel economy improvements that were condemned as being even weaker than the toothless measures proposed by President George Bush.

Now given how fractious the debate has become, over Hummers on suburban roads and the fuel efficiency of American cars, it is unclear whether any fuel requirements will make it into the bill before Congress, or even when the House will get around to debating it.

The attack on the Brandywine Hummer has triggered an outpouring of rage across the country - on both sides of the divide - and the vehicle has become the latest poster boy for America's failing attempts to grapple meaningfully with climate change.

Gareth Groves, the mystified 32-year-old owner of the smashed-up vehicle, is not enjoying his 15 minutes of fame. Sitting with his girlfriend and a US Army buddy on the front porch of his mother's house, he is unapologetic about his choice of car and more than shocked at the reaction of his neighbours to his misfortune.

Some have glared at him; others have passed with a look of smug satisfaction. "One in five people who come by have that 'you-got-what-you-deserve' look," said his army friend Andy Sexton, 27, who is on leave from fighting in Afghanistan.

Lucille, who witnessed the attack and called the police, was equally unsympathetic. "The neighbourhood in general is very concerned with the environment," said the Prius-driving neighbour. "It's ridiculous to be driving a Hummer."

Nowhere is the division over America's attitude to climate change more apparent than on Brandywine. Most of Mr Groves's neighbours disliked having the Hummer parked on their street. But they say they are equally shocked by the violence and feel that to condone it amounts to supporting terrorism. The authorities agree on that point at least and an FBI agent was quickly on the scene to interview the owner and neighbours.

The attack brought nationwide television networks and radio stations to their door and for a while camera crews were staking out the elegant home of Phyllis Groves, 70, the car owner's mother. She feels sorry for her son who only bought the car to promote his budding business as an agent for professional football players on the Washington Redskins team.

As liberal as everyone else on her street, she detests George Bush, hates the war in Iraq and works as an administrator at Georgetown University. "The Hummer was his dream, it's a man thing," she explained.

And to judge by the phone calls and emails he has been getting, the country is evenly divided between those who despise him and those who believe it is his God-given right to drive whatever he wants. "I'm sorry to hear about the violence, but Hummers are just horrific and selfish indulgences and should be banned from the road," said one.

"I am not advocate for Hummers, they're ridiculous vehicles to have, especially in a city, but this act is a form of terrorism by fringe extremists," said another. "I hope these thugs get caught and punished to the fullest extent of the law. No one deserves property destruction in the name of political activism," complained another.

For the moment Mr Groves is holding his nerve. He has had the car towed away to be repaired, but he is worried about bringing it back on his mother's street. "We have a garage out back," she explains, "but it was built with this house 80 years ago when cars were much smaller. I don't know what we're going to do."

The neighbours are not exactly coming around to sympathise. One woman, "a crackpot" says Mr Groves, kept walking back and forth telling anyone who would listen that she thought it was a good thing that the car had been vandalised. Another revealed that she has a T-shirt with a photograph of a Hummer with the word "Bummer" above it.

Police say that while there are occasional acts of vandalism in the area, which is close to a university, they have never before encountered an act of environmental activism with such a clear political message.

What will happen to the activists if and when the man from the FBI catches up with them, gives Mr Groves and his army friend something to smile inwardly about. "People tell me that an act of eco-terrorism is considered to be a class-A felony punishable by 20 years in jail and a $100,000 fine," he said. "That's why the FBI man was here."

That was the tragic fate of William "Billy" Cottrell, who was such an exceptional student at the University of Chicago that his professors considered him to be a physics genius, if an eccentric one. Two years after graduating with a "double major" in physics and mathematics, Cottrell, who has Asperger's syndrome, was charged and convicted as one of America's first eco-terrorists in the post-9/11 era: the 2003 firebombings of several 4x4 dealerships in the Los Angeles area.

After FBI agents arrested the wrong man for the crime, Cottrell remorselessly teased the authorities with gloating emails to The Los Angeles Times. When they finally caught up with him and brought him to court, prosecutors made much of his brazenness in seeking a heavy sentence. His friends and family say his behaviour reflected more his autism than the mind of a domestic terrorist.

The jury was never told of his illness, which is known to trigger inappropriate behaviour, and his case is now a cause c?l?bre for some of the world's most prominent physicists. Stephen Hawking has lobbied to have Cottrell's brutal prison regime improved so that so he can continue his research.

In an open letter, Professor Hawking and seven other physicists asked for Mr Cottrell to be moved from "nightmarish" violent inmates and for restrictions to be eased so that he could work as a postgraduate student. They wanted him to fulfil "his promise for an outstanding career in theoretical physics, a career in which he could make major contributions to society, through science".

Soon after he was transferred to another federal prison with fewer violent inmates but the US attorney's office in Los Angeles is opposing an appeal for a reduction in sentence. Cottrell is also appealing against the fine of $3.5m.

Back on Brandywine, the media attention is draining away, but the neighbours are still casting glances at Mrs Groves' yellow house. For the moment her son is in shock but unrepentant. "To tell you the truth," he said, "I never even thought about the environmental impact of the Hummer in the months I spent thinking about buying it."

He is thinking about it a bit more now that the media storm is passing over.

[skeptik]

This is exceptional.. people in swanky suburban neighborhoods of America (especially this part of Washington DC - Ive been in email contact with soembody who lives two blocks away) just do not vandalize eachothers cars. There is an almost religious veneration of the car in the suburbs, the choice of vehicle is a statement about oneself and and it's an absolutely essential component of life, as essential as food and water - no public transport here. I see the journalist had to hunt back three years to find a similar occurence - in the whole of America!

I suspect a personal vendetta. Probably somebody local doesn't like this guy and used the 'eco' thing as cover.

--- and now a personal statement. Personally I find the whole subject of cars extremely boring. Prior to moving to Spain I lived in London without one, entirely possible in the inner suburbs, more tricky in some of the outer suburbs. I was fortunate to have good rail, tube and bus connections and a walkable high street full of shops where I used to live.

Where I now live life on a small estate somewhat inland from the mediterranean coast, life without some form of motorised transport would be possible but tough! Public transport is virtually nonexistent when compare with London. If the going does get tough I intend to buy a small scooter with top box and do all my local travel with that instead. (cycling up and down steep hills in 90F heat does not appeal - I am at heart a naturally lazy person) Currently though, diesel in these parts is on sale for Euro 0.95 to 1.00 a liter.

My choice of car was mainly on size and energy efficiency. Had to be small for ease of parking, and with a high efficiency diesel engine in anticipation of ever rising fuel costs... Apart from that, its just a baked bean can with four round bits of rubber in the corners. So long as it goes when I turn the key and doesnt stop going thats all I care about... What does that say about me, I wonder?

[Keela]

..... its just a baked bean can with four round bits of rubber in the corners. So long as it goes when I turn the key and doesnt stop going thats all I care about... What does that say about me, I wonder?

Is it by any chance a brown coloured Fiat 126? I used to drive one of these and my then teenage younger brothers used to call it "the baked bean".

Sadly it expired one day 100yards from home, just out side the post office. I walked home, but it must still have been steaming because some "helpful" police men "put it out" and cracked the cylinder head and that was the end of that.

Cars! I agree with you A to B and just keep going. Skeptik I imagine we both have enough personality not to need a fancy car to bolster it!

[skeptik]

Is it by any chance a brown coloured Fiat 126? I used to drive one of these and my then teenage younger brothers used to call it "the baked bean".

No its not. Many years ago I used to drive a Renault 4, till the bodywork fell apart from rust to the point that all my glass fibre bodgery couldnt get it through an MOT, and it wasnt wrth fixing properly. That too really did feel like diving around in a baked bean can..

My current car is one of these.
http://www.citroen.co.uk/level4/technic ... &infoID=13
if you scroll to the bottom and look at the figures for 1.4HDi 70hp (second column in table) - that's the major reason I chose the C3. Its also pretty good on the emissions front..

Cars! I agree with you A to B and just keep going. Skeptik I imagine we both have enough personality not to need a fancy car to bolster it!

Flattery will get you everywhere, especially on the internet.

[PS_RalphW]

When I was a kid my dad drove a Jaguar S-type 3.8 litre. He got
28mpg which was better than the quoted values - I never saw it go
above 60mph.

I only mention it because large parts of the exhaust pipes (both of
them) were baked bean cans, and parts of the body were old oil
cans cut up... it also leaked a lot of oil...

[Totally_Baffled]

LOL I have got to stop drinking! , when I read the thread title I imagined a hummer covered in batter (like a cod from the fish and chip or something!! lol)

[skeptik]

it also leaked a lot of oil...

Didn't everything produced by the British car and motorcyle industry leak oil before it went bust or got bought out by the Japs and Germans ? ... always thought that was part of its 'charm'.

That glistening black patch in the middle of the drive or the concrete garage floor, and the weekly ritual with the dip stick was part of being British when I were a nipper...

[J. R. Ewing]

As shown on another thread, the much maligned Hummer is infact more environmentally friendlier and I think more energy efficient over it's average lifespan than a Toyota Prius.

http://clubs.ccsu.edu/Recorder/editoria ... NewsID=188

[skeptik]

As shown on another thread, the much maligned Hummer is infact more environmentally friendlier and I think more energy efficient over it's average lifespan than a Toyota Prius.

http://clubs.ccsu.edu/Recorder/editoria ... NewsID=188

Already debunked. An article based on dodgy data written by a undergrad student at an American university. I would guess just as a deliberate provocation. As the article has disappeared I would imagine the author has had second thoughts too.

The major error is the contention that the average expected lifetime of a Prius is only 100,000 miles. In some US States the Prius comes with a warranty for 150,000 miles and some posters report mileage on their clocks already in excess of 300,000 miles. The Nickel used in the Prius battery is also very valuable and can be recycled into stainless steel manufacture, so does not longterm represent an additional drain on a non-renewable resource or environmental burden.

http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl ... 4&from=rss

the real life experiences of real Prius owners and more debunking can be found in the bottom half of this thread
http://www.theoildrum.com/node/2471
Also interesting as it illustrates the American love affair with the car and the obsession with 'performance' even amongst environmentally aware peak oilers.

Worried about your 'performance'?

[OrraLoon]

LOL I have got to stop drinking! , when I read the thread title I imagined a hummer covered in batter (like a cod from the fish and chip or something!! lol)

Well, Prof. Chris Harvie, probably one of the more interesting MSPs to be elected to the Scottish Parliament, did write "Deep-Fried Hillman Imp".

This could be the next vol. in the series. "Harry Potter & The Peak Oilers", if you like.

In vino veritas

[J. R. Ewing]

The major error is the contention that the average expected lifetime of a Prius is only 100,000 miles. In some US States the Prius comes with a warranty for 150,000 miles and some posters report mileage on their clocks already in excess of 300,000 miles.

Yeah, must admit I thought the 100,000 miles for lifetime sounded iffy.

The thing with the batteries though is the amount of environmental damage they cause. In Cannada were they are made it is said that everything within a certain radius is completely dead, even so that NASA carry out tests on there machinery there?

I still don't believe the Hummer deserves the battering it recieves from greenies and environmentalists.

[skeptik]

The thing with the batteries though is the amount of environmental damage they cause. In Cannada were they are made it is said that everything within a certain radius is completely dead, even so that NASA carry out tests on there machinery there?

I still don't believe the Hummer deserves the battering it recieves from greenies and environmentalists.

Reading the thread at the Oil Drum , it looks like things have improved considerably at Sudbury since the 70's.

lilnev said:
"Wikipedia tells me that the Sudbury basin produces 189,000 tons of nickel per year, so about 1/2 of one percent can be attributed to Prius batteries. The worst of the localized environmental damage (loss of plant life, etc) occured prior to the construction of the Superstack in 1972, although acid rain remained a problem until sulphur-control equipment was added in the 90's. Bottom line: don't blame the Prius for environmental damage in Sudbury."

Gilgamesh said:
Sudbury is where a meteor landed long ago, and yes it USED to be a deadzone. My mother and father and both of their parents are from there. Back in the 70's 80's it was very bad. The sulphur in the exhaust of the stacks caused most of the local trees/bushes to die (exception of blueberries and some other species, birch maybe). However it has turned around with a scrubber stack added.

The nickel mine is now also one of the major sulphuric acid producers in Canada, a byproduct of the scrubbing.

The trees have recovered, and the enviroment has greatly recovered. There are indeed still large stacks of slag, however those will continue to pile up as nickel is processed. Trees are everywhere, and my parents agree that it looks much better than the past.

I still don't believe the Hummer deserves the battering it recieves from greenies and environmentalists.

Why? Unless you actually NEED a monster all terrain truck, its just total overkill for normal road use. I bet most Hummers have just one passenger in them for most of the time. Absurd.

Id say it deserves all the battering it gets. With the ammount of resources that goes into making one, and the pathetic mpg it achieves, it is no wonder that its become a totemic enemy for the green movement.

Never mind, I expect in two or three years time there will be a huge second hand stockpile of Hummers that you wont be able to give away. Where do you think gasoline prices are headed in the States? Back down to $1 or on up to $5?... place your bets.

A false sense of security? looks like it. I'd rather drive defensively in a small car, which I KNOW isnt going to save me in the event of a serious accident.

[J. R. Ewing]

I still don't believe the Hummer deserves the battering it recieves from greenies and environmentalists.

Why? Unless you actually NEED a monster all terrain truck, its just total overkill for normal road use. I bet most Hummers have just one passenger in them for most of the time. Absurd.

Id say it deserves all the battering it gets. With the ammount of resources that goes into making one, and the pathetic mpg it achieves, it is no wonder that its become a totemic enemy for the green movement.

Never mind, I expect in two or three years time there will be a huge second hand stockpile of Hummers that you wont be able to give away. Where do you think gasoline prices are headed in the States? Back down to $1 or on up to $5?... place your bets.

A false sense of security? looks like it. I'd rather drive defensively in a small car, which I KNOW isnt going to save me in the event of a serious accident.

I guess I should explain my reasons for my statement. Thing with the Hummer is that it's a very niche machine, not many people want to be in one let alone drive one so production figures are low. I've driven one on a test drive off road track when I was in the states and they do give out 12 to 15 MPG on a US Gallon so that could be 15 to 18 MPG on a UK Gallon - not good I hear you say but my friend as a 3 series BMW and he gets 25 MPG and the production figures are quite a lot higher for BMW 3 series' and equivalents.

Again I think it could probably be a case of just cutting down the useage of any vehicle and not pinpointing at one while owning and using another.

Maybe I'm wrong, let me know what you think?

[mocara]

No way in God's green is that image real

[skeptik]

No way in God's green is that image real

The driver of the hummer, amazingly, survived, just. One pupil on the bus sustained minor injuries. Moral of the story - dont tangle with US yellow school buses. They really are built like tanks, whereas Hummers just look like they are.