Plug In America

Dear Fellow Clean Car Supporter,

As you can see from this edition of our newsletter, Plug In America listens to valued supporters like you to ensure that our actions represent your interest. I live in Seattle, so the news about electric vehicle legislation in WA state is exciting, indeed. So is the announcement by President Obama that CAFE standards are being raised at the national level. PIA isn't resting on its laurels, though. We face uphill battles on many fronts. Until plug-in cars are on the road in great numbers, and until our economy is back on track with clean-tech jobs, our work remains urgent. If you aren't a paid member of Plug In America already, please consider becoming one now. As you know, we have a record of getting a lot done on very little funding. Every penny counts. Thank you for your support.

Great Minds Think Alike

…In this case, President Barack Obama and members of Plug In America! President Obama on May 19 announced a plan to extend California's vehicle emissions standards to the entire nation, following Plug In America's April 2009 campaign asking him to do just that. When other organizations were urging the Environmental Protection Agency simply to grant California a waiver allowing it to adopt stricter tailpipe requirements than federal regulations, thousands of Plug In America supporters e-mailed the White House and the E.P.A. asking them to give all Americans the same tools to reduce pollution. Now, all states will be required to meet vehicle emissions goals that are nearly identical to California's by 2016.

So, all of you who responded to our Action Alert by e-mailing the White House and E.P.A., give yourselves a virtual high-five! And if you haven't yet become a member, you can double your impact by joining Plug In America today -- click here. Or, consider making a contribution to help fund our next Action Alert. "Plug In America took it one step further than other environmental organizations because our members have been driving the plug-in cars and trucks that we know can clean up emissions much faster than most people realize. We are extremely pleased that President Obama also sees that we can accelerate change in the auto industry," Plug In America co-founder and board member Sherry Boschert said. "Now we need to put the pedal to the metal and exceed those goals so we can rapidly get our country's transportation off of oil and reduce the climate crisis."

Students Compete with Racy Electric Vehicles

Plug In America helped deliver winning teams to the extremely successful third annual Formula Hybrid International competition at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway on May 8th. Our California teams placed 1st (Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo) and 3rd (University of California at San Diego) in the electric drive-only and 5th overall (University of California at Irvine) in the full plug-in hybrid category. Formula Hybrid is an annual competition and event produced by the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth University to inspire and compel collegiate teams to design and build high performance hybrid and electric vehicles. Two years ago Plug In America received a grant from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to sponsor student teams from California schools of automotive engineering. Four Plug In America-sponsored teams out of 31 entrants showed up in New Hampshire to meet their fellow contestants and check out other designs. Congratulations to the teams who took on the monumental challenge of making electric and hybrid cars from scratch! See you again next year!

Washington State is On the Move

Governor Christine Gregoire signed Washington's new electric vehicle legislation (HB1481) last week. Dan Davids, Plug In America's Seattle-based president was there to thank the Governor for her work. Among other things, HB1481 creates an entirely new section in the state statute, titled "Electric Vehicles." Plug In America worked with the Seattle Electric Vehicle Association's legislative director Jeff Finn on this, but Jeff and state representative Deb Eddy deserve the lion's share of the credit. The governor declared that Washington now has the most progressive law on the books regarding EVs.

EPA Hears from Us

Plug In America President Dan Davids testified on behalf of Plug In America at the EPA endangerment hearing on May 21st in Seattle. Dan's presentation followed one by Washington Governor Christine Gregoire. He publicly supported the EPA for finding that carbon dioxide and five other gases can be classified as pollutants. After the hearing, Governor Gregoire held a press conference in a separate room packed with TV cameras and reporters. She signed an executive order to begin controlling GHG emissions in the state. Asked why by a reporter, her response was "Because I didn't get cap and trade out of the legislature!" She had hoped to start Washington State on the cap and trade path without waiting for the "other Washington." She said good things about electric vehicles, mentioning "the electric highway," and emphasizing that transportation is the source of 51% of Washington State's pollution. In response to a question from a prominent local TV reporter who asked how much her actions would cost, she was emphatic that "the cost of not acting will be much more than doing something now." Her thorough and crisp explanations conveyed a Governor who is clearly an A-list green leader.

JackTheDonkey.com: The Social Network that Drives Change (into our pocket)

Thanks to JackTheDonkey.com, a new social networking site that helps non-profit organizations raise money, Plug In America is $500 richer and counting. Hee-haw! Jack operates like most social networking sites, allowing users to create profiles, post photos, and chat in discussion forums. This portal, however, donates more than half of all the money its raises through advertisements to causes that people "give a poop" about. Yet, unlike many "click-for-revenue" websites, JackTheDonkey.com doesn't require users to click on advertisements. Simply registering and visiting pages raises money.

The site was founded by David Katz, a Canadian with volunteerism in his blood, who wanted to "bail out" charities. "With the current global economic crisis and the bailouts being given to big business and banks, I realized that charities needed a bailout of their own," Katz says. Katz helped Plug In America raise more than $500 through a Facebook fundraising campaign he orchestrated before Jack had launched. Now, by simply registering on the site-for free-and selecting Plug In America as the nonprofit you'd like to support, you can add to our growing pot of cash. Because you give a poop. For more about JackTheDonkey.com, read the press release.

Plug In America Volunteers Emerge Across the US

Plug In America called out for volunteers just before Earth Day, hoping we would get volunteers wiilling to talk about the benefits of electric vehicles at Earth Day events. We were amazed and grateful that nearly 100 people from all over the United States responded! As the map shows, this is a topic that is germinating in cities all over the country. Plug In America is extremely fortunate to have such willing volunteers. Now we are working on recruiting a volunteer coordinator, initially as a volunteer and potentially as a future staff person. If you think you have the skills and the personality to organize our motivated volunteers, please email jeanne@pluginamerica.org a description of your experience and qualifications. Plug In America is extremely fortunate to have such motivated volunteers.

Upcoming EVents

Plug In America will have a speaker and a booth at the Plug-In 2009 Conference and Exposition in Long Beach, California on August 10-13. See http://www.plugin2009.com/ for event details. Plug-in 2009 will showcase the very latest in plug-in technology along with exciting new electrically-powered vehicles on the exposition floor. Attendees can choose from a smorgasbord of plenary sessions, pre-conference workshops, and multiple breakout sessions. New market research and policy initiatives as well as the future of plug-in technology are on the menu. For people who don't want to attend the full conference, a special Public Night is an option.

If you are feeling particularly "plugged in," please contact linda@pluginamerica.org to volunteer at our booth. And if you attend the conference of the Public Night, please drop by Plug In America' s booth and say hello. We look forward to seeing you in August.