WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall, D-N.M., released the following statement today commending President Barack Obama on his call for improved federal vehicle efficiency (CAFE) standards.
"The President's call to make vehicles more fuel efficient than ever before is the type of bold, aggressive energy initiative our nation needs to save Americans money and boost our energy security by reducing our dangerous dependence on foreign oil. For far too long our fuel efficiency standards have stayed the same while the prices we pay at the gas pump have skyrocketed. Years of gridlock on this issue and our domestic industry's failure to produce vehicles that get more miles per gallon have contributed to the near demise of America's auto industry. I commend the President for putting forth a plan that allows the industry regulatory certainty and flexibility in compliance with the new regulations while still moving our nation on a path towards greater energy independence."
The President's new national policy is aimed at both increasing fuel economy and reducing greenhouse gas pollution for all new cars and trucks sold in the United States. The new standards, covering model years 2012-2016, and ultimately requiring an average fuel economy standard of 35.5 mpg in 2016, are projected to save 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the life of the program with a fuel economy gain averaging more than 5 percent per year and a reduction of approximately 900 million metric tons in greenhouse gas emissions. This would surpass the CAFE law passed by Congress in 2007 which required an average fuel economy of 35 mpg in 2020.
