Markey: Obama Keeping Pledge on Fuel Economy, Global Warming
Author of Fuel Economy Standards Praises "Energy Triple Play" by Visionary President
WASHINGTON (January 26, 2009) – Reports indicate that President Barack Obama will announce today that he will reassess America's fuel economy standards and how they could be strengthened; will grant a waiver to allow California, Massachusetts and other states to proceed with a landmark global warming tailpipe standard; and will announce an effort to increase the energy savings from federal agencies.
Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) who chairs key energy and global warming panels in the House, and is a chief author of the new fuel economy standards being considered in the new Obama administration, issued the following statement today:
“Eight years ago, we had a president who broke his campaign promises to fight global warming and increase our energy independence. Today, President Obama is keeping his pledge to rebuild our economy, protect our climate, and move America towards an efficient, clean energy future.
“This is an energy triple play that will cut global warming pollution, increase innovation, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. It shows what a visionary president is capable of doing, and the faith he has in the economic revival that America's automotive and energy industries can produce.
“After more than a decade of fighting for stronger fuel economy standards, I was worried the Bush administration would scuttle the progress we had made and turn strong policy into shaky results. President Obama is right to reconsider the way these fuel economy standards are implemented, and will undoubtedly use sound science and realistic analysis to achieve the strongest results that benefit consumers.
“Granting the waiver to California, Massachusetts and other states to go forward with reducing global warming emissions from vehicle tailpipes is what even the Bush Administration’s own experts concluded must be done, and I’m delighted that the era of politics trumping science and the law is over. I call upon the auto industry to use the billions in bailout funds they have received to engineer a cleaner, more efficient future, instead of continuing to litigate their way to protecting a dirty, inefficient past.
“And as we push to weatherize and update millions of homes and buildings in an effort to create jobs, making our federal agencies more energy efficient is a perfect way to practice what we are preaching.
“President Obama is choosing technology innovation over traditional stagnation, and it will make our cars and trucks better, our buildings more efficient and our planet safer.”
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