Below is the full statement of Rep. Markey on the deal:

“For the first time in decades, Congress is taking long overdue action to increase the fuel efficiency of American cars and SUVs. A 35 MPG standard is something that just a year and a half ago, most people in Washington thought would never see the light of day.

“I know this is a difficult step to take for America’s auto companies, but the status quo was helping neither our nation nor the companies themselves. I especially appreciate Chairman Dingell’s willingness to let this reform go forward at this time, with the nation heavily dependent on oil costing $90 a barrel.

“Nancy Pelosi has been stalwart in her support for the 35 mpg standard, for which I am very grateful. Within a few years, American consumers will start to see more efficient vehicles being sold in showrooms across the nation. A 35 MPG standard, along with provisions mandating increased use of renewable fuels, will save Americans more than twice the amount of oil we currently import from the Persian Gulf, by 2030, save them billions of dollars at the gas pump, and go a long way towards protecting the planet from global warming.

"Along with increased fuel economy, the bill marks a new path forward on renewable fuels like ethanol and renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. It requires utilities to provide at least 15 percent of their electricity from renewable resources by 2020. By 2022, billions of gallons of ethanol will flow through America's new, more efficient engines, and wind turbines and solar cells will use nature to power our economy, instead of letting dirty power alter nature.”