As gas prices rise, Markey looks ahead to revitalizing standard setting process

                                                        For Immediate Release March 27, 2009
                                                          Contact: Daniel Reilly 202-225-2836

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), chairman of twin energy and climate panels in the House, today welcomed the announcement of new fuel economy standards for Model Year 2011 by President Obama. Rep. Markey has spent over two decades aggressively pushing for an increase in fuel economy standards.

“With gas prices once again on the rise, I am pleased to see the Obama administration taking this historic first step towards reducing our dependence on foreign oil and helping revitalize the domestic auto industry,” said Markey. “I look forward to working with the President to ensure that future standards are based on realistic assumptions and sound science.”

On Monday, Markey and more than 80 other Members of Congress sent President Obama a letter urging him to change flawed assumptions on calculating fuel economy standards put in place by the Bush Administration, including an assumption that the price of gasoline in 2030 would be $2.51/gallon, which had the effect of artificially lowering the maximum feasible standard that the law requires be set.  The model year 2011 standards that were issued today corrected this grave deficiency, and the Administration indicated that as it moved forward to set standards for Model Year 2012 and beyond, that it would take a comprehensive new look at making further changes to NHTSA’s methodology.

The full text of the letter is available here: http://markey.house.gov/docs/090323_cafeletter.pdf

Earlier this week, Chairman Markey also sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) requesting that they examine the methodology with which NHTSA sets fuel economy standards in order to better inform the future standard-setting process.

Rep. Markey was a principal House author of the first mandated increase in fuel economy standards since 1975, which was contained in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The new law directs the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to raise fuel economy standards for both cars and light trucks to a fleet wide average of at least 35 miles per gallon in 2020, starting with model year 2011 vehicles, and additionally requires that the maximum feasible standard be set each year.

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For Immediate Release March 27, 2009

Contact: Daniel Reilly 202-225-2836