CAFE:
The Biggest Single
Step to Saving Oil and Curbing Global Warming |
Summary
A responsible energy policy
must reduce our dependence on oil.
American cars, SUVs and other light trucks now guzzle 8 million barrels
of oil every day (mbd). Raising
fuel economy standards for new cars, SUVs and other light trucks to an average
of 40 miles per gallon (mpg) over the next 10 years will save nearly 2 mbd in
2012 and nearly 4 mbd by 2020 -- more oil per day than we import from the
Persian Gulf and could extract from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge,
combined. This responsible step
will save consumers billions of dollars at the gas pump and slash heat-trapping
CO2 emissions that cause global warming.
In 1975 Congress
passed and President Ford signed the law establishing Corporate Average Fuel
Economy (CAFE) standards. CAFE
standards set the minimum average fuel economy that a manufacturer’s fleet of
cars must meet. Congress required
cars to ramp up from 13.8 mpg to 27.5 mpg by the late 1980s. However, despite dramatic advances in
technology, 25 years later that standard is still in place. Congress asked the Department of
Transportation to set light truck fuel economy. Light truck standards inched up to 20.7
mpg, but have virtually stagnated for 20 years.
The Benefits of CAFE
Standards
·
Raising CAFE Standards will
Improve our Energy Security:
We import 52 percent of our
oil. Our cars, SUVs, and other
light trucks guzzle 40% of the oil used in the US every day. Current CAFE standards save 3 mbd. Raising CAFE standards for new cars,
SUVs and other light trucks to 40 mpg is the biggest single step we can take to
curb our oil dependence.
·
Raising CAFE Standards will
Save Consumers Money, Stimulate our Economy, and Create Jobs:
CAFE standards already save consumers money at the gas pump. Because fuel economy for cars doubled between 1975 and the late 1980s, a new car purchaser saves thousands of dollars at the gas pump over the lifetime of the car. Now it is time for Detroit to pass on savings to SUV owners. Making the Ford Explorer go from 19 mpg to 34 mpg would cost $935 in technology, but would save the owner $790 each year on gas. Raising CAFE standards for new cars, SUVs and other light trucks to 40 mpg over the next 10 years will save consumers $16 billion annually by 2012.
Consumers would spend this money at home, rather than sending it overseas to oil producing nations, thus stimulating our economy, improving wages, and creating jobs. A 1997 report by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy concluded that raising CAFE standards would translate into a net increase of 244,000 jobs nationwide, with 47,000 of these in the auto industry.
·
Raising CAFE Standards will
Protect the Environment:
Raising
CAFE standards would curb global warming.
Carbon dioxide emissions from our cars and trucks add to the CO2 blanket
around the earth, which prevents heat from leaving the atmosphere, causing
global warming. America’s cars and
trucks alone emit more CO2 than all but four countries in the world -- the U.S.
as a whole, China, Russia, and Japan. Each gallon of gasoline burned pumps 28
pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere, thus the more efficient the vehicle, the
lower the CO2 emissions. Raising
CAFE standards to 40 mpg would slash our CO2 emissions—greatly reducing our contribution to
global warming.
Technology Advances and
Safety
The
technology exists to provide Americans with safe, efficient vehicles that curb
global warming pollution. More efficient engines, transmissions, and better
aerodynamics could dramatically increase the fuel economy of our cars. Hybrid
gas-electric engines offer even better gas mileage. However, so far only Japanese
manufacturers are using this technology.
Three hybrids are currently in production: the Toyota Prius, Honda
Insight, and Honda Civic Hybrid, all of which get over 50 mpg.