FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 1, 2011

Contact:

Maggie Kao (202) 675-2384

Kristina Johnson (415) 977-5619

Sierra Club Launches Campaign to Get Electric Vehicles on the Road
"Go Electric" Effort Will Fight Pollution, Create Jobs, Help End Oil Dependence

[Washington, D.C.] – Today, the Sierra Club launched its new "Go Electric" campaign, aimed at promoting electric vehicles in the United States.

"Electric Vehicles stand to help make America a global leader in the new clean energy economy.  By investing in this new technology, we can create good American jobs, slash pollution, combat climate disruption, and help end our dependence on oil,” said Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune. "The Sierra Club is making electric vehicles a priority because they will help solve many of the problems we face as a nation, while infusing new life into our economy."

As part of the campaign, the Sierra Club is reaching out to its 1.4 million members and supporters and asking them to urge President Obama to stand firm in his commitment to put one million electric vehicles on the road by 2015.  The Sierra Club will engage in a Go Electric public education campaign and will be working with its members to advocate for federal, state, local, and utility policies that will encourage use of electric vehicles.

The Go Electric campaign is part of a larger effort focused on moving America beyond oil by increasing new vehicle fuel economy and emissions standards and  investing  in a 21st Century transportation system that provides all Americans transportation choices including rail, transit,and safe walking and biking. The Sierra Club is also engaged in a massive, winning effort to end America’s use of polluting fuels like coal and replace them with clean sources of energy like wind and solar power.

Even relying on today’s power grid, electric vehicles produce less pollution than almost all other vehicles on the road. As the power grid gets cleaner, electric vehicles will account for even less pollution.

"Electric vehicles are the only type of car that actually get cleaner over time as we shift to powering them with cleaner sources," said Sierra Club Electric Vehicles Campaign director Gina Coplon-Newfield. "By making electric vehicles affordable and accessible now, we won’t just cut pollution and hasten the end of our dangerous oil addiction. We will also breathe new life into America’s manufacturing, infrastructure, and smart grid technology industries."

For more information on the Sierra Club Electric Vehicle campaign, visit: www.sierraclub.org/EV.