A new report by Environment North Carolina finds that theautomobile
fuel economy provision in the Senate energy bill would save North
Carolina consumers $836 million dollars at the pump in 2020, reduce oil
consumption by more than 38,200 barrels per day and would be the
equivalent of taking more than 462,300 thousand cars off the road.
“Rising
energy prices are gobbling up consumer savings this Thanksgiving
season,” said Margaret Hartzell, Environment North Carolina Field
Organizer. “With oil approaching $100 a barrel, it is past time for
Congress to take action and pass an energy bill that increases fuel
economy and requires renewable electricity to save consumers money on
their energy bills.”
Environment
North Carolina’s new report “Driving Towards a New Energy Future”,
shows that in 2020 alone North Carolina consumers would save $836 million dollars at the pump in 2020 and reduce oil consumption by more than 38,200 barrels of oil a day.
The savings of the CAFE provision would be even more significant nationwide. The Senate bill would:
· reduce our national energy consumption by 1.2 million barrels per day in 2020;
· save American consumers $26.5 billion dollars; and
· be the greenhouse gas pollution reduction equivalent of taking 14 million cars off the road.
This
summer the Senate passed the first new corporate average fuel economy
(CAFE) legislation in more than 30 years. Unfortunately, the House
energy bill did not contain the same provision. As Congress works to
come up with a final energy bill, the CAFE provisions and a renewable
electricity standard must be combined with efficiency provisions to
create a bill that would put America on the path toward a new clean
energy future.
“It
is time for the auto industry to make our cars go farther on a gallon
of gas instead of making the same tired excuses about how they can’t do
it,” said Hartzell “We have the technology to get to 35 mpg by 2020.
It’s time for Congress to pass a strong energy bill.”
