As Gas Prices Surge Again, Alliance to Save Energy Urges New Congress to Increase Vehicle Fuel Economy

WASHINGTON, Jan. 4, 2007 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With gas prices again on the upswing, the Alliance to Save Energy has called on the new 110th Congress, convening today, to focus on enacting cost-effective policies for achieving greater vehicle fuel economy. The Alliance noted that in just two short months, from the end of October 2006 to January 1, 2007, the average retail price for regular gas rose from $2.20 to $2.30 per gallon, or 5 percent.

"The new Congress must - as a first order of business - help Americans struggling to meet rising energy costs by insuring that our cars, SUVs, and light trucks go further and pollute less on each gallon of fuel. The economic, energy security and environmental consequences of continued inaction are simply too great. The links between our energy use and damage to the environment become ever more clear, as are the threats to our national security given growing oil imports from volatile regions of the world," stated Alliance President Kateri Callahan.

"We look forward to early congressional hearings to address these pressing issues, and we call on senators and representatives to work on an expeditious, bipartisan basis to determine the quickest, most cost-effective ways to achieve greater fuel economy across the U.S. vehicle fleet," Callahan continued.

Noting that car and light truck fuel economy is down to 24.6 miles per gallon from its 1987-88 peak of 25.9 mpg, Callahan added, "We could save roughly 1 million barrels of oil per day just by increasing fleet-wide fuel economy by only 2 mpg, which is more than achievable with currently-available technologies. Policies such as increased fuel economy (CAFE) standards and a 'feebate' program rewarding high-mileage vehicles, for example, could accomplish this goal."

The Alliance to Save Energy is a coalition of prominent business, government, environmental, and consumer leaders who promote the efficient and clean use of energy worldwide to benefit consumers, the environment, economy, and national security.