A bill, H.R. 6, providing for a 40 percent increase in fuel efficiency for new cars and light trucks by 2020 for a fleetwide average of 35 miles per gallon appears to be headed for passage in the House and Senate, reports the Associated Press.
"A 35-mpg standard is something that just a year and a half ago, most people in Washington thought would never see the light of day," said Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., as quoted by the AP.
Just what the doctor ordered, huh?
You'd think so.
The bill also includes provisions for use of ethanol in gasoline, plus the groundwork for alternative energy sources such as solar power for electricity.
Democratic leaders hope they can get the bill to the president's desk before the end of the year.
But the big question is will the president sign it? The AP story says some Republicans have complained that the bill does not do enough to increase domestic production of oil.
Rep. Joe Barton of Texas, the top Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said in a statement Saturday that if the bill clears Congress, he would recommend that Bush veto it.
Under a 1975 law passed after the Arab oil embargo, each automaker's fleet of cars must average 27.5 miles per gallon and its light trucks, including sport utility vehicles, pickups and minivans, 22.2 miles per gallon.
For years, a group of Republicans wary of regulation and Democrats from vehicle-producing states - with fierce lobbying by U.S. auto companies and auto unions - have opposed tougher standards, contending it would lead to lighter, less-safe vehicles, threaten auto industry jobs and limit consumer choice.
Just two years ago, during consideration of the last big energy bill, a proposal to increase the standard to 40 miles per gallon by 2016 drew just 28 votes in the 100-member Senate.
But with $4 a gallon gasoline looming, those arguments may become irrelevant.
And some of those arguing for tougher fuel economy standards argue it's a national security issue, in that it would lesson our dependence on foreign oil.
But something has to be done. We demand it. We need it now. Hell, we needed this at least a decade ago.
Given the situation, how can the president not sign this bill?
Here's a Senate press release about the bill.
U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation
For Immediate Release
June 21st, 2007
U.S. SENATE APPROVES INCREASE IN FUEL ECONOMY STANDARD
Adopted Energy Act Increases Fleetwide Fuel Economy Average to 35 MPGs by Model Year 2020
WASHINGTON, D.C. – For the first time in more than three decades, the U.S. Senate voted to increase the average fuel economy standard for cars, trucks, and SUVs by 10 miles per gallon over ten years. The fuel economy provision comes as part of the Senate-amended H.R. 6, the Energy Act, which the full Senate adopted today by a vote of 65-27.
Committee Vice Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Senator Thomas Carper (D-Del.) proposed the adopted compromise provision, with the cosponsorship of Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), Committee Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii), and Committee Members including Senators Trent Lott (R-Miss.), John Kerry, (D-Mass.), Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), and John Sununu (R-N.H.).
The bipartisan compromise fuel efficiency language preserves the core of the Ten-in-Ten Fuel Economy Act introduced earlier this Congress by Senators Feinstein and Snowe, which was reported by the Commerce Committee in May.
Senator Inouye issued the following statement on the bipartisan compromise amendment included in the Energy Act.
“Mr. President, I rise in support of Amendment 1792, filed by Senators Stevens, Snowe, Alexander, and Carper, and cosponsored by Senators Feinstein and Kerry, among others. This bipartisan compromise reflects the input of Members, industry, and consumers, and is good policy for our nation.
I particularly wish to congratulate Senator Dianne Feinstein for her dedicated efforts over the years to update our nation’s fuel economy standards. The success of the amendment today is a tribute to her tenacious and skilled advocacy.
At every step of the legislative process following the introduction of S. 357, the Ten-in-Ten Fuel Economy Act, by Senators Feinstein and Olympia Snowe, the authors and cosponsors of S. 357 and Members of the Senate Commerce Committee have worked together in a bipartisan manner to address the concerns of the automotive industry. In particular, this group worked hard to ensure that automakers will not face a significant burden when meeting the first improvements to fuel economy standards in more than 30 years.
I am pleased that Members from both sides of the aisle continued to work together to produce the amendment adopted today. While addressing a number of the concerns raised by automakers regarding the Feinstein-Snowe Ten-in-Ten Fuel Economy Act as reported by the Commerce Committee, the amendment preserves the core goals and fuel savings of Ten-in-Ten.
The amendment directs the Secretary of Transportation to increase fuel economy for automobiles to 35 miles per gallon by 2020, as in Ten-in-Ten. But in the years that follow from 2021 to 2030, the Secretary shall increase fuel economy at a maximum feasible rate instead of at a pace of 4 percent per annum.
If we have a breakthrough in battery technology, then 4 percent per year may well be too low. If there are unforeseen problems, 4 percent may be too high. The amendment will allow the Secretary to set an appropriate standard in the future.
The Kerry-Cantwell second degree amendment to the Stevens-Carper-Feinstein-Snowe-Kerry amendment also directs the Secretary to establish and implement an action plan to ensure that 50 percent of the vehicles for sale in 2015 are alternative fuel automobiles. We must encourage manufacturers to improve their fleets’ fuel economy by exploring new technologies and producing alternative fuel vehicles. I commend Senators Kerry and Cantwell for developing this compromise amendment that addresses this important goal.
By adopting the bipartisan compromise amendment and H.R. 6 as amended, we will place the country on a path toward reducing our nation’s dependence on foreign oil, protecting the environment, and helping consumers deal with rising gas prices.
Finally, I wish to express my appreciation for the excellent efforts of the dedicated staff on the Senate Commerce Committee including David Strickland, Alex Hoehn-Saric, Ken Nahigian, Mia Petrini, and Jared Bomberg.”
Here's a press release from Sen. Susan Collins of Maine about the bill.
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