HALF THE OIL

The 'HALF THE OIL' plan outlines a pathway for the United States to halve its projected oil use by 2035. The strategy relies on two main pillars: efficiency (improving passenger and commercial vehicles, and retrofitting buildings) and innovation (scaling electric vehicles, cellulosic biofuels, and smart transportation systems). The plan argues that these steps will save billions of dollars, reduce pollution, and establish U.S. leadership in transportation technology.

• Doubling the fuel efficiency of new cars and light trucks is identified as the most significant individual action the U.S. can take to lower oil use, with the potential to reduce demand by more than 4 million barrels per day by 2035.
• Improving the fuel efficiency of commercial vehicles—which represent only 4 percent of the fleet but consume 20 percent of highway fuel—could save approximately 1 million barrels of oil daily by 2035.
• The plan estimates that retrofitting buildings, improving boiler efficiency, and finding oil substitutes for heating and manufacturing could reduce oil consumption by roughly 2 million barrels per day by 2035.
• Transitioning to cellulosic biofuels made from waste and environmentally friendly crops could reduce oil use by 1.7 million barrels per day by 2035, with a goal of reaching nearly 40 billion gallons of such fuels by that date.
• The adoption of electric vehicles, including plug-in hybrids and battery-electric models, is projected to cut U.S. oil use by about 1.3 million barrels per day by 2035, with the potential to nearly eliminate oil use from cars and light trucks by mid-century.
• Implementing smart-growth solutions, such as improved transit, freight systems, and mixed-use development, is estimated to yield oil savings of approximately 1.3 million barrels per day by 2035.
• The document asserts that the United States currently spends nearly $2 billion every day on oil, and failing to act would result in continued exposure to price spikes, oil spills, and pollution-related health issues.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2013). HALF THE OIL. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/half-the-oil-savings-plan.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. HALF THE OIL. 2013. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/half-the-oil-savings-plan.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=HALF THE OIL |date=September 2013 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/half-the-oil-savings-plan.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2013half, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{HALF THE OIL}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2013}, month = sep, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/half-the-oil-savings-plan.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }