CHRIS Portera has a big flag on the back window of his Ford Explorer. Just don’t ask him to choose between his country and his gas-guzzling sport utility vehicle.
“I’d like to drive a regular car,” said Portera, who runs a janitors equipment service on Long Island. “It would be nice. But I need the SUV to carry supplies.”
Portera has read all the stories about how more fuel-efficient vehicles would lower America’s dependence on foreign oil.
And he has heard all the arguments about how lower dependence on foreign oil would strengthen the country’s hand in the Mideast and in the war on terrorism.
But Portera also knows that Ariel Sharon and Yasser Arafat will go rock climbing together in the Swiss Alps before Americans agree to trade their four-wheeled behemoths for hybrid shoeboxes.
Still, the price of gasoline in America is inching ever upward, refueling the debate over alternative energy sources.
In New York City last week, the average price per gallon for regular gasoline was $1.53, a price that could rise to $2 per gallon before summer ends.
“The most important step the Senate could take to bring peace to the Middle East . . . and to combat the war on terror is to pass a comprehensive energy bill that opens up more domestic sources for oil,” said Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.).
But before we get out our big drill and start poking huge holes in the middle of pristine wildlife reserves, there are a few things about our driving habits to consider.
According to the Automobile Club of New York, 45 percent of all new vehicles purchased in America last year were SUVs, most of which could not make it on a single gallon of gas from the George Washington Bridge to Kennedy Airport – about 15 miles – without begging for more fuel.
Such poor mileage on so many vehicles has contributed to a 15-year low in America’s fuel economy.
“Increasing efficiency standards is the number one way to reduce foreign dependency,” Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) told The Post. “Gas prices aren’t alarming yet. But they’re getting worse. They’re putting a crimp on the economy, and we have to do something.”