CONTACT: Jim
Philipps
Thursday, May 10, 2001
202/225-3665
BOEHLERT INTRODUCES CAFE STANDARDS LEGISLATION
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) today made the following statement at a national press conference to introduce legislation to raise federally mandated fuel efficiency standards for sports utility vehicles and light trucks:
"I'm very pleased to be here today – today, as the price of gasoline climbs steadily above and beyond $2 a gallon in many places around the country – to announce a bill to close the SUV loophole. This loophole has made Swiss cheese of our nation's energy laws and has put a hole in the wallets of too many Americans for far too long.
"Today the sales of light trucks – pickups and sport utility vehicles – outpace those of cars, even though cars get far better gas mileage. But few people who buy SUVs ever use them the way auto companies suggest: How many people do you know drive their SUV off road to conquer the Rocky Mountains? Not many, I'd bet. No, most people who buy SUVs use them like a car: they drive to work, they drive to school, and they drive to the store for a loaf of bread. But because SUVs are gas-guzzlers in disguise, Americans are paying a whole lot more for the trip.
"If people want SUVs to use them as cars, car companies ought to make them as fuel- efficient as cars. But standards for light trucks have not changed significantly in almost two decades. That's why today I'm here with Congressman Olver to introduce legislation to require SUVs and light trucks to meet the same fuel efficiency standard – 27.5 miles per gallon – that cars have had to meet for years. Greater fuel efficiency means greater savings for Americans like you and me.
"Now some may say that the public doesn't prefer more fuel efficient trucks, otherwise they would buy them. But I don't believe that. I believe that most SUV drivers would prefer greater fuel efficiency, but right now they have no way to make that view felt in the marketplace. The reason we have made no progress on fuel economy is not because of a lack of technology, but rather because of a gross failure of political will. For the past six years the auto companies have used their political clout to block policies that would improve gas mileage in light trucks – policies that have a proven record of success in improving the fuel efficiency of cars.
"Holding SUVs to higher standards will help the environment, too. As you know, some have proposed to relieve this energy crisis by drilling for oil on pristine lands, such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.
"Today, I am releasing a report prepared for me by the Congressional Research Service that shows that increasing the fuel economy of light trucks and SUVs to match that of cars would save about 740,000 to 1.2 million barrels of oil a day. Coincidentally, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has reported that the Arctic Wildlife Refuge could economically produce between 300,000 to 1.4 million barrels of oil a day. In other words, the amount of oil that can be extracted from the arctic wilderness is about the same as that we could save with a modest increase in fuel efficiency for SUVs.
"Of course, you could save a whole lot more energy if you set the standards even higher, but we believe that this bill represents a moderate step forward in our nation's efforts to become more energy efficient. This bill will help reduce our heavy dependence on oil, protect the environment, and save America's drivers money at the pump. And when gas prices are as high as they are now – and climbing – these kinds of savings simply cannot be ignored."