Northwest gas use down!

According to an article out of Longview, WA (click HERE to link), gas usage (per person) in WA/OR/ID is down from 1999 levels. It's an interesting article; tells about a family in Bellevue, WA, who decided not to fix their broken SUV, but rather to try life without a car for awhile. (Partly to cut down on expenses, partly on account of the environment, partly to protest the war in Iraq.)

The study indicates gas usage is down 14% in Idaho. The article says, "The decline is due in part to the fast-growing Boise area, where population is increasing at a far faster rate than rural Idaho." I'm trying to understand that statement. Maybe it's because people have shorter distances to drive in the Boise area, than people who live 15 miles out of Dubois or St. Maries, huh? (Because it sure seems like 95% of the Boise-area population gets around in motor vehicles. They're not all walking or taking the bus.)

(It says Idaho residents use the equivalent of 17.4 gallons, per person, per week. That is a LOT of gas - 87 gallons at my household! It compares with 16.2 gallons for Oregon, 15.3 for Washington, and 10.9 for British Columbia.)