Congress Returns, Will Consider Higher Automobile Fuel Economy Standards
August 30, 2007
The end of summer means Congress is returning to Washington — and this year they'll put pedal to the metal on a plan that could make your next car go farther on a tank of gas.
Americans strongly support an increase in gas mileage standards, which haven't been raised in three decades. The leading plan, passed by the Senate with both Republican and Democratic support, would raise the requirement to an average of 35 miles per gallon by 2020.
Phyllis Cuttino of the Pew Campaign for Fuel Efficiency praises the bill.
"The Senate's bipartisan bill of 35 miles per gallon by 2020 is great for America. It helps consumers at the pump. It reduces our dangerous dependence on foreign oil. And it's achievable. We have the innovation and technology to do it now."
But the energy bill recently passed by the House didn't include anything on gas mileage standards, so now the final plan will be hammered out in House-Senate negotiations this fall. The auto lobby has come out against a strong standard because they say it'll hurt their profits.
But Mark Cooper of the Consumer Federation of America says the Senate plan would mean more cash in the pockets of most Americans.
"If fuel economy standards are raised, drivers get more miles per gallon, they visit the gasoline station less, and that puts money in their pockets."
The Senate-passed approach would save the typical two-car family about $875 a year at the gas pump.
It would also reduce America's oil consumption by 1.2 million barrels a day — which is more than twice as much oil as we import now from Iraq. That's why many national security experts say tightening fuel economy standards is one of the best ways to make America safer.
Retired Admiral Dennis McGinn:
"Americans are safer with increased fuel economy standards because we are less vulnerable to terrorist attack, natural disasters, or political embargoes which would significantly impact our economy and put our men and women in uniform in harm's way."
Auto industry lobbyists are claiming the higher gas mileage requirement will cost auto worker jobs. But respected economist Richard Stuebi of the Cleveland Foundation says the stronger standard will actually make the U.S. auto industry more prosperous.
"It's the companies that were making the more efficient vehicles that are employing more people than the companies that make the less efficient automobiles. So it's the companies that anticipate and comply with the tighter efficiency standards that will gain market share and employ more workers."
Congress will decide the fate of a strong fuel economy standard this fall. With big savings for consumers, energy security, and a future for U.S. auto workers at stake, now is when the rubber meets the road.
For more information:
Contact Brandon MacGillis, 202-887-8830. Broadcast-quality versions of these clips are available.
