Washington (July 16) –
In a letter sent today, senior Members of the House Energy and Commerce
Committee are urging House Appropriations Committee Chairman C.W. “Bill”
Young (R-FL) to help with Congressional efforts to improve energy conservation
and automobile fuel efficiency.
The
letter – signed by Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Billy Tauzin (R-LA),
along with Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality Chairman Joe Barton (R-TX),
Reps. Greg Ganske (R-IA), Charlie Norwood (R-GA), Ed Bryant (R-TN), Mary Bono
(R-CA) and Greg Walden (R-OR) – calls on the Appropriations Committee to
repeal restrictions placed on the Department of Transportation’s Corporate
Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) rulemaking activities, allowing the National Highway
Traffic and Safety Administration to immediately start its work to review and
evaluate current CAFE standards.
Last week, the Energy and Air
Quality Subcommittee overwhelmingly approved the Energy Advancement and
Conservation Act of 2001, which includes a key provision on vehicle fuel
efficiency that mandates specific gasoline savings to be implemented as part of
the CAFE program. The full Committee is scheduled to take up the bill tomorrow
(July 17, at 11:00 a.m.) in room 2123 of the Rayburn House Office building.
(Attached below is a copy of the letter sent today to Chairman Young.)
July 16, 2001
The Honorable C.W. Bill Young
U.S. House of Representatives
Committee on Appropriations
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Chairman Young:
We are writing to encourage you, as Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, to
help us in promptly addressing the issue of automobile fuel efficiency.
On July 12, 2001, the Energy
and Air Quality Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee met in open
markup to pass the Energy Advancement and Conservation Act of 2001.
This legislation contains a provision addressing the issue of vehicle fuel
efficiency which mandates specific gasoline savings to be implemented as part of
the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program.
With this legislation we are doing our
part to advance energy conservation, but there is more that can be done. We
request that the Appropriations Committee take the necessary action to repeal
the restriction placed on the Department of Transportation’s CAFE rulemaking
activities, as was mandated by the FY 2001 Department of Transportation
Appropriations law. By taking this action, you can ensure that the
National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration will be able to immediately
start its work to review and evaluate current CAFE standards.
While
the legislation passed out of the Energy and Air Quality Subcommittee goes a
long way towards reducing fuel consumption, we want to ensure that all measures
to improve energy conservation are explored and considered.
Sincerely,
W.J. “Billy” Tauzin
Chairman, Committee on Energy and Commerce
Joe Barton
Chairman, Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality
Greg Ganske
Charlie Norwood
Ed Bryant
Mary Bono
Greg Walden
