Americans have talked about energy independence, green house gas emissions, and transportation woes for decades now – yet we still consume and import more oil than at any other time in our history, exhaust greater amounts of CO2 into our atmosphere, and spend more time struggling to get from point A to B.

In the not to distant future, our very way of life may have to change in dramatic ways.

Oil continues to dominate our economy as world supplies have reached their peak in production. We depend on it for everything from plastic bags to jet fuel. Any economist will tell you when supplies get smaller, prices go higher. Our hopes are that alternate energy supplies will be developed in time to offset the loss of fossil fuel. The problem is this: Most of the emerging energy supplies (wind, solar, nuclear, bio) will create electricity, not gas or diesel. Finding ways to get from A to B on electric supplies will have profound effects on our current fleet of vehicles and airline industry. The transition to a mostly electric based economy will require trillions of new investment for plug-in cars and trucks, and manufacturers scrambling to provide us with the oil based products we depend on.

Emitting huge quantities of greenhouse gas into our atmosphere is a fool’s errand. Whether you believe in global warming or not doesn’t really matter anymore. Most scientists agree were close to the tipping point of polluting ‘too much’. If you believe them, then action is long overdue. If you don’t, and you’re wrong, we’re all screwed if we do nothing, and if you hedge your bet and change your behavior, you’ll be out very little. The smart move here is to reduce CO2 emissions and pray it’s not too late, or at the very worst, not needed – just like we purchase fire insurance on our homes.

America spends more and more time trapped in our autos, watching the rear bumper of the guy ahead of us. Sure, we’ve transformed our cars into mobile dens and breakfast nooks, filled with gadgets to make the time go by, but there we sit, poking along. Driving eats away at your being able to read a good book on the way, or take a nap or make productive use of time. Flying is no bargain either, requiring a strip search for the privilege of being packed into a tiny seat for an expensive trip to Portland, while being at the mercy of congested airports, airspace and weather. 

So what’s an alternative? High Speed Rail is starting to look pretty good at this point.

Train routes are the most logical mode to electrify as fuel sources change in years to come using off the shelf technology. Electric trains are far more efficient at moving goods and people than planes or cars (USDOT). Electric cars would require a whole new fleet, and planes are just impractical to do.

Trains, electric or clean diesel during the transition, emit far less CO2 per passenger mile than either planes or cars (EPA). We would be purchasing far less foreign oil, and exhausting fewer byproducts into the air we breathe or the planet that supports us.

Modern passenger trains, such as our Talgo tilt trains in Washington State, are a great way to relax, sight see, meet new people, do billable work in the business car, or just nap while being transported from city center to city center. Public transit is getting much better to begin and end your journey for many of the trips we now make to most of our larger cities. HSR trains, with competitive fares, can operate without public subsidy when systems are completed 

The choice is ours to make. Continue massive public investments into freeways and airports, or prepare for the future. Our own Cascade Corridor could link Eugene, Portland, Seattle and BC in just years with train speeds of up to 110 mph, offering solutions to our most pressing problems and providing transportation choices for future generations to come.

Higher speeds, more trains on dedicated right of way, and better connections could be the legacy of decisions we ask our lawmakers to choose today.