Are You An Oil Addict? Oil Addicts Anonymous Opens Chapters Across Midwest

[chlamor]

CHICAGO, Illinois, February 14, 2005 (ENS) - A new organization is being founded this month in cities across the Midwest - Oil Addicts Anonymous - modeled after the multitude of successful 12 step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous. Organizers say, "The first step on the road to recovery is simple: admitting we have a problem. Join hundreds of patriotic citizens by taking the first step together."

The first chapter was founded in Madison, Wisconsin on Wednesday by citizens who said they came together to admit that "we as Americans are addicted to oil" and are "ready to take responsibility for this harmful addiction."

"My name is Austin King and I'm an oil addict,” declared Madison, Wisconsin Alderman Austin King. “Having recognized that we all have a problem here, we must work vigilantly to kick the habit. At the national level, we must hold corporations like Bank One and Ford accountable for keeping us hooked and enabling our oil addiction. At the local level we need to must work to stop suburban sprawl, support walkable infill development, and invest in public transportation, bicycle accommodations, and pedestrian safety."

“Under Bill Ford, Jr.’s watch, Ford Motor Company’s EPA fuel efficiency ranking has plummeted to an abysmal last place for five straight years,” said Connolly. “From subcompacts to SUVs, Ford's current cars and trucks get fewer miles per gallon on average than its Model-T did 80 years ago. Gas guzzling is a dangerous addiction, and Ford Motor Company doesn’t know when to say when.”

The other immediate target of the campaign is JPMorgan Chase, a financial firm oil investments. "They financed the OCP oil pipeline in Ecuador, which transports heavy crude oil from Ecuador’s eastern rainforest region to the Pacific coast, damaging fragile ecosystems and communities along its entire route," Oil Addicts Anonymous organizers point out.

In 2002, JP Morgan Chase was the largest financer of U.S. oil and gas companies, arranging loans worth more than $18 billion, representing more than a third of the market.

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