Study Finds Northwest Using Less gas SEATTLE (KPLU) - If it seems like you're buying less gas these days, you're probably right. A new study from a Seattle-based sustainability think tank finds total gasoline consumption across the Northwest dropped sharply last year. The report says the obvious causes such as high prices and a slumping economy were part of the reason. But it notes that per-capita gasoline use has dropped in 8 of the last 9 years, and it's now at its lowest level since 1965.

Analyst Roger Valdez authored the report from the Sightline Institute.

"I think you could say that folks in the Northwest are getting it," Valdez says. "They're getting off that rollercoaster and they're saying, 'We're tired of the volatility of gasoline, we're gonna get on buses, we're gonna get on our bikes, we're gonna walk to work, we're gonna carpool.' And they're starting to change their behavior."

Valdez notes that even though gas prices have dropped since spiking last summer, transit ridership has remained high, and the number of miles traveled by car continues to decline.

Valdez is author of the report from the Sightline Institute. He notes that even though gas prices have dropped since spiking last summer, transit ridership has remained high, and the number of miles traveled by car continues to decline.


Sightline Institute report


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