Senate Commerce Committee Approval of '10 in 10' Bill Beginning of End of Decades-Long Stalemate on Fuel Economy

U.S. Senate Action Will Help Curb Climate Change, Protect National Security

The Alliance to Save Energy today praised action by the Senate Commerce Committee this week to report the “10 in 10” fuel economy bill as the first step in breaking a 20+ year stalemate on improving fleet-wide vehicle mileage and a hopeful sign for Americans burdened by the soaring costs of gasoline. The bill would increase the mileage of all passenger cars and light trucks by 10 miles per gallon – from 25 to 35 mpg – by model year 2020.

Late last week, Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) and Ranking Member Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) announced a compromise amendment to the bill sponsored by Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) that would require that the fuel economy of medium and heavy duty trucks be improved by 4 percent per year, a comparable rate to passenger vehicles. The bill also would extend the fuel economy increases of the entire fleet beyond 2020 by an additional 4 percent per year.

If enacted, the bill would, by 2025, reduce vehicular greenhouse gas emissions by 18 percent below projected levels and save 2.1 million barrels of oil per day, according to the committee.

“Congress must act immediately on this fuel economy measure, not only for economic reasons, but also to enhance our national security and – most importantly – to respond to pressing global environmental imperatives,” said Alliance President Kateri Callahan. “Following the positive committee consideration, we hope to see this bill adopted by the Senate and then the full Congress in the very near future.

“Every day that Congress delays action on this essential fuel economy measure is another day that U.S. consumers and businesses are paying too much for gasoline and wasting too much energy. Congress must act to ensure a sustainable energy future,” Callahan said.

The Alliance to Save Energy is a coalition of prominent business, government, environmental, and consumer leaders who promote the efficient and clean use of energy worldwide to benefit consumers, the environment, economy, and national security.

Source: The Alliance to Save Energy