Locate an Auto Repair Shop in Cantwell, Alaska

Wonder how they figured the 70%? There's something in the package for consumers, too: up to $7,500 to buy plug-in electric cars; The plug-in vehicle payments would go to the first 250,000 consumers to purchase the qualifying 2010 models, Cantwell said. Those consumers can operate their vehicles at the equivalent of about 70 cents per gallon of gas, proponents say, and a study by the Tri-Cities' Pacific Northwest National Laboratory showed enough capacity in the U.S. electric system to support about 70 percent of the country's passenger fleet. "We really want to help drive down that engineering cost and get people who are early adopters to start using the existing electricity grid," Cantwell said, adding that plans to maximize the performance of the grid could further save power.

Are more tax breaks for hybrids really what this country needs? Congressman, actor Rob Lowe push for plug-in car tax breaks And Rob Lowe is not the only one. quote- Sens. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Barack Obama, D-Ill., want to offer consumers up to $7,500 in tax credits to convert hybrids to plug-ins. Dubbed the "Fuel Reduction using Electrons to End Dependence On the Mideast Act of 2007," or the FREEDOM Act, it also would give automakers incentives to build plug-in vehicles.-end source J.D. Power- While actual hybrid vehicle owners tend to be older (55) than the average new-vehicle buyer and more affluent, with an average annual household income of $113,400, the study finds that consumers who indicate that they are considering a hybrid tend to be younger (averaging 43 years old), with an average annual household income of $88,500. -end Do people that make >$100,000 a year really need a tax break to provide the incentive to buy a hybrid?

Actually, on the way down late Friday night, a station attendant at the Tesoro in Cantwell told us to keep an eye out for caribou through Broad Pass and beyond. He said they had been all over for the last couple of weeks. Sadly, we did not see any caribou on the road or otherwise (otherwise preferred!) on the trip down or up. The moose was the only critter we saw other than a few hares hanging out along the roadway. It crossed right there where the road abuts the Nenana river. It had gone down to the river for a drink, I imagine, and was headed back across toward the hills. I think this is going to be one of those bumper years for hares before they have another population crash. I remember in 2003 that there were so many they literally lined the road along the flats by Anderson/Clear and Nenana. It was quite amazing, really. Reminded me of a bad B horror movie I saw a couple decades ago.... Oh, hahaha! And of all the crazy animals to see crossing a road, I saw a beaver crossing the Johansen Expy right there at Danby on Thursday night. I was able to stop for it, but it was dawdling along so slowly I thought for sure it would be hit. I put my hazards on and waited for it to get into the median, so I can only guess whether it crossed the other side safely. It was about midnight, so at least traffic was very light.

A moose walked in front of me last night just north of Cantwell on the way back up from Anchorage. I was traveling at 70 (in a 65); the brakes worked fine, but I am glad I was not going any faster. A moose? Wow, haven't seen any of those in the Cantwell area our past few drives to Anchorage. We have seen TONS of caribou, first time we had to dodge a herd of 30 or so in the highway, was just about that bad last week too. I'm heading to Wasilla tomorrow hauling our horse trailer, hopefully don't see any of the little coat racks in the road!

Hahah, I have no need of that, but maybe I should test out the theory the next time I am in Oregon. I am pretty stubborn about not speeding (too much); I am just not in that much of a hurry and, for the most part, speed limits up here are on the threshold of "safe" anyway. :P A moose walked in front of me last night just north of Cantwell on the way back up from Anchorage. I was traveling at 70 (in a 65); the brakes worked fine, but I am glad I was not going any faster. :D