Great Lakes govs not so green, but some drive alternative fuel vehicles

By Allison Bush, bushalli@msu.edu
Great Lakes Echo
July 8, 2009

Several Great Lakes governors own hybrid vehicles, but that’s not enough to place them among the country’s greenest state chief executives, according to one recent study.

None of the region’s governors made it into the top ten in the study by Greenopia, an environmental consumer interest Web site and blog.

Michigan, Wisconsin, New York, Minnesota and Pennsylvania’s governors did squeeze into the top 25. The report evaluated the governors’ policies and stances on climate change, energy conservation and tax incentives to encourage green consumers, said Doug Mazeffa, head of research at Greenopia.

“We looked at them relative to other governors, and also weighted their transparency,” he said.

Rankings of the Great Lakes governors are Michigan — 14, Wisconsin — 16, New York — 17, Minnesota — 19, Pennsylvania — 20. The governors of Ohio and Illinois were close, ranking 26 and 28 respectively.

Almost at the bottom is Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, ranking 49 and followed only by Louisiana.

Tom Koontz, an associate professor at Ohio State University’s School of Environment and Natural Resources, said these results are not surprising. Midwest states typically fall in the middle of the pack when it comes to studies of environmental state policies, he said.

“Part of it is our manufacturing tradition,” he said. “But also, overall, there’s a culture in this part of the country that doesn’t stand out in doing environmental things, compared with the East and West coasts.”

Much of the findings in Greenopia’s report correlated with the public opinion on the environment in each of the states, Mazeffa said.

“Some states are more progressive than others,” he said. “In the Midwest, the green side is just starting to gain traction there, and the government can’t go from zero to 60 instantly, it’s a transitional process.”

Many state and local leaders in the Midwest are eager to show their support for the environment.

Is this mindset reflected in the lifestyles of Great Lakes governors? It is hard to tell in some cases.  The offices of the governors of New York, Indiana and Illinois did not return multiple phone calls and e-mails from Great Lakes Echo for an informal survey of which kind of vehicle their governor drives.

Officials in other states declined to say how often the fuel-efficient vehicles available to their governors were actually used.

Many Great Lakes governors, especially Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, have touted the development of hybrid vehicles, saying that not only will they help the environment, but will help redevelop the economy.

And many Great Lakes governors are using either hybrid or flex-fuel vehicles designed to run on more than one fuel, typically gasoline blended with ethanol or methanol fuel.

Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland uses three flex-fuel vehicles, including a 2008 Ford Expedition Flex Fuel, said spokeswoman Amanda Wurst.

“The larger vehicles are necessary to transport the governor and staff,” she said.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle each use a flex-fuel vehicle as well.

Granholm uses several vehicles, including a hybrid and flex-fuel, said spokeswoman Megan Brown. She would not give out specific information on the type of vehicles or how often each kind is used, citing security concerns.

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell’s vehicle is a non-hybrid Cadillac, said spokesman Chuck Ardo.

“It’s important to note that part of the reason for the use of the Cadillac is for the governor’s personal safety,” Ardo said. “And since we have been here, the governor has ordered a reduction in the state’s fleet of (sports utility vehicles).”

Safety and accommodating staff were the reasons the governors’ spokespersons listed for using large vehicles.

“If a governor needs to have an entourage, I think that’s a reasonable reason to need a large vehicle,” Koontz said.

But Koontz referenced California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who had his hummer converted into a hybrid, and he said that it shouldn’t be too hard for other governors in non-hybrid vehicles to follow suit.

And while leading by example can help governors avoid criticism, it is also important to determine how to influence people to live in an environmentally friendly way, Koontz said.

“The key is getting policies in the state that encourage people to do the right things,” he said. “If people had incentives to ride bicycles, ride mass transit, it would help them use less gas – hybrids are all well and good, but if you have a hybrid and drive lots of miles, that’s not good for the environment either.”