PINE RIVER — Transportation is a major concern as we consider self-sufficient communities in rural north central Minnesota. Not only are we widely separated from one another geographically but our harsh climate limits the modes of transportation available to us.

At present, our approaches to transportation are not self-sufficient and are inefficient in their use of energy. Our automobiles are heavy compared to the weight of the people being transported. Their weight requires that most of the energy is expended to move the automobile, not the people.

Most of our automobiles use gasoline or diesel as fuel. Neither of these fossil fuels can be produced locally.

Further, gas- and diesel-powered automobiles are inefficient. Internal combustion engines use only 12% to 20% of fuel for forward

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