Phyllis Cuttino, director of the Pew Campaign for Fuel Efficiency issued the following statement welcoming the federal ruling rejecting auto industry’s attempt to block California and 14 other states from setting meaningful new fuel economy standards.

Phyllis Cuttino said, “Today’s ruling shows that the only ones who don’t believe in the U.S. auto industry are the U.S. auto industry.”

She continued, “(The) ruling by the U.S. District Court is more proof that auto industry arguments opposing meaningful fuel efficiency increases are no longer credible. U.S. District Judge William K. Sessions’ ruling bluntly articulates what Americans overwhelmingly believe, what the National Academy of Sciences has found and what foreign automobile manufacturers have demonstrated: greater fuel efficiency is achievable without sacrificing vehicle size or power.”

Then, she completed her comments with the following statement: “Auto industry lawyers are trying to convince judges that fuel efficiency is unattainable and auto industry lobbyists are waging a campaign in Washington, DC to weaken and delay or defeat a U.S. Senate bipartisan compromise to require automakers to achieve an average of 35 miles per gallon by 2020. This measure would not only make America more secure by saving 1.2 million barrels of oil a day, but also save American families $25 billion per year at the gas pump. It would also help Detroit to better compete with foreign automakers.”

For some background:

In June, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly supported a bipartisan compromise to increase fuel efficiency standards in cars and SUVs to 35 miles per gallon by 2020. This represents the first real move to increase fuel efficiency standards since 1975.

Over the last two decades, U.S. dependence on foreign oil has nearly doubled, gas prices have climbed more than 55 percent, and America’s contribution to global warming has increased at an alarming rate. Meanwhile, average gas mileage for new vehicles has actually fallen below levels found acceptable in the 1980s.

(Ed.: The Senate’s compromise to increase the fuel efficiency standard is a step in the right direction. Good! However, I truly question the logic of holding up the implementation of a proposed new fuel efficiency standard to alleviate Global Warming/ Climate Change for 13 years. Perhaps a certain amount of time might be necessary to reach this benchmark – provided that the new standard is not within current grasp. I would seek a consensus from automotive experts, concerning an estimate on the length of time to reach the new standard. In addition, I question the length of time in the Senate bill, as a bill from its sister legislative branch, the U.S. House of Representatives, which stated when the House planned to complete its reduction of carbon producing energy by, maybe it was, 2015. Why would so many years be required to only partially reduce its carbon footprint, when their target might be satisfied by existing technology: changing their lights to Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs), revising the energy consumption habits of members of the House, etc..

Remember: there won’t be any do-overs)

Source for this post: Pew Campaign for Fuel Efficiency

Website: http://www.pewfuelefficiency.org/

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