Edmunds' GreenCarAdvisor.com Editor To Advise Congress on Alternative Vehicles

Just the Facts:

• John O'Dell, senior editor for Edmunds' GreenCarAdvisor.com, has been appointed to the National Research Council's Committee on Transitions to Alternate Vehicles and Fuels.
• The new committee advises Congress on developing policy that could reduce dependency on foreign oil and decrease greenhouse gases.

SANTA MONICA, California — John O'Dell, senior editor for Edmunds' Green Car Advisor, has been appointed to the National Research Council's Committee on Transitions to Alternate Vehicles and Fuels. The new committee advises Congress on developing policy that could reduce dependency on foreign oil and decrease greenhouse gases.

The 20-member committee is charged with reporting to lawmakers on the advantages, costs, timing, policy requirements and research and development needs of alternative fuels.

"Not everyone has the opportunity to actually get on one of these committees to not only see how they function but also to bring ideas to the table," said O'Dell. "I hope to be able to share some insights about consumer attitudes toward alternative vehicles and fuels, gleaned from the millions of interactions Edmunds.com has with consumers each month."

The National Research Council is part of a private nonprofit institute that provides science, technology and health policy advice under a congressional charter signed by President Lincoln. Its mission is to improve government decision-making and public policy. The council is "committed to providing elected leaders, policy makers and the public with expert advice based on sound scientific evidence," according to the National Research Council's Web site.

The push for alternative fuels is growing increasingly urgent. On Monday, The New York Times reported that the U.S. military is pushing aggressively to develop, test and deploy renewable energy to decrease its need to transport fossil fuels. The need for renewable energy has been underscored by the military's experiences in the rugged outback of Afghanistan. "Senior commanders have come to see overdependence on fossil fuel as a big liability, and renewable technologies — which have become more reliable and less expensive over the past few years — as providing a potential answer," the story said.

GreenCarAdvisor.com is a leader in providing news and commentary on environmental trends and technologies in the automotive world, including such topics as hybrids, electrics and diesel cars, alternative fuels, new fuel-efficiency and pollution-control technologies, and related political and economic issues.

O'Dell joined Edmunds.com in 2007 after serving for more than 25 years as a reporter and editor at the Los Angeles Times.

Inside Line says: Edmunds' GreenCarAdvisor.com will soon have a direct pipeline to U.S. lawmakers and policymakers when it comes to speeding the transition to alt fuels and vehicles. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent