More Than 120,000 Americans Call for 60 mpg Cars

AUSTIN— More than 120,000 Americans urged the Obama administration to set strong clean vehicle standards that could dramatically cut oil use and global warming pollution—as well as save billions for consumers at the gas pump—as part of a public comment period held in recent weeks. These citizens joined Environment Texas and the go60mpg coalition (a group of environmental and consumer groups) along with dozens of state and local elected officials in urging the administration to finalize a standard that requires cars and light trucks to achieve a fleet-wide fuel efficiency average of at least 60 miles per gallon (mpg) by 2025. This groundswell of support comes on the heels of the Obama administration’s announcement that it will begin developing new fuel efficiency and global warming pollution standards for cars and light trucks in model years 2017-2025.

“Americans want President Obama to move clean cars into the fast lane, by setting the highest possible fuel efficiency and global warming pollution standards,” said Robert Ressler, Federal Field Associate with Environment Texas. “Americans across Texas from Representatives Burnam and Veasey to the Texas League for Conservation voters know that we have the technology to reduce our dependence on oil, jumpstart our economy, and cut global warming pollution by making our cars much cleaner and more fuel-efficient.”

On October 1st, the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Transportation, and California Environmental Protection Agency kicked off the rulemaking process by issuing a Notice of Intent, which outlined the range for fuel efficiency and global warming pollution standards being considered for cars and light trucks. The agencies announced that the clean car technologies exist to reduce global warming pollution from the average car and light truck by as much as 6 percent each year between 2017 and 2025, which is roughly equivalent to the 60mpg by 2025 fleet-wide average that Environment Texas and the go60mpg coalition is urging the administration to adopt. The administration is expected to issue a second Notice of Intent by the end of November that could narrow the potential range for the finalized standards.

“The Obama administration’s announcement confirmed scientific analysis that we can cost-effectively make 60 mile-per-gallon cars the norm and not the exception,” said Ressler. “President Obama should fully seize this historic opportunity to reduce our dependence on oil and save Americans money at the gas pump, and finalize a standard of at least 60 miles-per-gallon by 2025.”

A recent national poll showed overwhelming public support for vastly improving the fuel efficiency of cars and trucks. The poll found that 74 percent of likely voters favor increasing the average fuel efficiency standard for cars and light trucks to 60 miles-per-gallon by 2025. This standard would result in Americans saving $101 billion at the gas pump in 2030 and cut annual oil use by 44 billion gallons in that year, or nearly one-third of the oil used by cars and light trucks this year, according to research by the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Union of Concerned Scientists.

A member of the House Environmental Regulation Committee, Representative Lon Burnam released the following statement, “With growing evidence of devastating and potentially permanent changes in the planet’s climate and American families under the financial strains of a prolonged recession, we cannot continue to depend on an energy source that threatens our way of life and costs American families hundreds of billions of dollars in imported oil every year.”

“According to a recent report by the Union of Concerned Scientists, aggressive standards for trucks alone could create 124,000 new jobs by 2030 and save $24 billion in reduced fuel costs,” Representative Burnam continues, “With so many Americans out of work, do we really want to let China become the world’s leader in clean vehicle technology, and to have the jobs that go along with it?”

In the city of Austin alone over 150 people have been mobilized to contact the white house through letters and phone calls and urge President Obama to maintain strong federal fuel efficiency standards.

A variety of existing technologies could be used by automakers to increase the fuel efficiency of new cars and decrease their global warming pollution. Conventional internal combustion engine vehicles can be made much more efficient by applying technologies like high-strength lightweight materials and six- and seven-speed transmissions, while strong standards will also help bring more hybrid and plug-in electric vehicles onto America’s roads.

Environment Texas is part of a nationwide network of groups—the Go 60 MPG coalition (go60mpg.org)—encouraging the Obama administration to increase fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks to at least 60 miles-per-gallon by 2025 and strengthen global warming pollution standards to no more than 143 grams of pollution per mile by that year. The coalition is also urging the administration to reduce fuel consumption in tractor trailers by 35% in 2017 and 20% for all other trucks.