On a good day, David Jenne spends an hour and 15 minutes driving from his home in Rutland, Vt., to his job at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon.

Jenne, who works in the public relations department at DHMC, says the 114-mile round-trip commute provides him with time to relax, but he also figures that the drive costs him about $12 a day in gasoline, plus wear and tear on his Toyota pickup.

Jenne is one of an increasing number of Vermont and New Hampshire residents who are driving long distances to work in part because of a shortage of suitable housing close to the employment centers.

In addition to the expense of the daily drives, there also is a social cost associated with workers having to live more than 20 minutes from their employment, a study released last week says.

Because of a lack of public transit, limited carpooling programs and the absence of higher emission standards, the commuters in both states are contributing to increased levels of carbon dioxide and to global warming, according to the study, "Driving Global Warming," which was conducted by Vermont Public Interest Research and Education Fund.

Both Vermont and New Hampshire had the highest percentage of increases in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from transportation sources in New England from 1990 to 2001. Transportation sources account for 55 percent of all CO2 emissions in Vermont and about 40 percent in New Hampshire, and a large part of the pollution comes from commuters driving more than 20 minutes a day, the study and officials say.

A similar study focusing on greenhouse gases and commuting in New Hampshire is expected to be released in the next few weeks, NHPIRG advocate Josh Irwin said last week.

"Overall, transportation is the leading contributor to carbon pollution in New Hampshire, and New Hampshire is number one in New England," Irwin said.

The recent studies follow a 2001 initiative by the governors of all the New England states and the premiers of the Eastern Canadian provinces to curb greenhouse gases.

Since then, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island have adopted plans to reduce global warming emissions, and Maine and Connecticut have adopted regional goals through legislation.

Vermont and New Hampshire have not developed comprehensive plans for reducing emissions.

Although 2001 is the last year with available data for carbon dioxide emissions, recent figures show that gasoline consumption, which is the largest source for CO2 and the biggest contributor to global warming, has risen 8.6 percent in New England through 2004 and is increasing at a higher rate in New Hampshire and Vermont, a study released this year by the New England Climate Coalition says.

Anecdotal evidence seems to link increased commuting distances and rising house prices, and officials in both states say it is logical to assume that more people trading driving time for an affordable place to live could be affecting CO2 levels.

A matter of affordability

In the Upper Valley, the median sales price for a house in the core area and towns within a 20- to 30-minute commute was $270,000 last year. At a mortgage interest rate of about 6.25 percent, a family making $70,000 a year with a $60,000 down payment could afford a $232,000 house, according the Vermont Housing Finance Agency, a state agency that helps low- and moderate-income families find homes. Those making less and with a lower down payment would have to commute up to 45 minutes in order to own a house, real estate agents have said.

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