Senator is House author of fuel economy standard update in 2007 energy bill

Washington (July 18, 2016) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee and Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, released the following statement today after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a draft Technical Assessment Report (TAR) that documents progress toward meeting the Obama administration’s 54.5 mile per gallon fleet-wide fuel economy goal, which was anticipated to be met in 2025. The goal is one of the administration’s main efforts to lower greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change, as well as reduce America’s dangerous dependence on foreign oil.

The 54.5 mpg standard was enabled by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which included fuel economy standards co-authored by then-Rep. Markey and championed by then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). That law included Senator Markey’s language that said the standard must be at least 35 mpg by 2020, and that the “maximum feasible standard” must be set every year. The bill was signed by President George W. Bush in December 2007.

“Today’s draft report card on fuel economy standards gets a grade of ‘Incomplete’. The automotive industry is enjoying record auto sales while meeting the strong fuel economy standards that are already in place. The draft report also highlights that there more affordable technologies to reduce gasoline used in and carbon pollution from cars than what was anticipated when these rules were first written. But lower gas prices and auto industry advertising has also meant that more Americans are now buying larger, less fuel-efficient vehicles.

“To ensure that the vehicle fleet actually reaches or exceeds the bold goal of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025 and that we reduce the levels of imported oil and greenhouse gas pollution to meet our national security needs and climate commitments, the EPA and NHTSA must set even more stringent standards moving forward. The automotive industry can meet these standards with the same technological ingenuity that has made today’s cars and SUVs fuel-efficient computers on wheels and that is enabling the self-driving cars of tomorrow. The United States has joined the international community in committing to doing our fair share to address global warming and these fuel economy standards are a linchpin of our domestic plan to meet the climate change challenge.”

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