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U.S. Senate Approves Increase in Fuel Economy Standard
Adopted Energy Act Increases Fleetwide Fuel Economy Average to 35 MPGs by Model Year 2020 |
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – For the first time in more than three decades, the U.S. Senate voted to increase the average fuel economy standard for cars, trucks, and SUVs by 10 miles per gallon over ten years. The fuel economy provision comes as part of the Senate-amended H.R. 6, the Energy Act, which the full Senate adopted today by a vote of 65-27.
Committee Vice Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Senator Thomas Carper (D-Del.) proposed the adopted compromise provision, with the cosponsorship of Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), Committee Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii), and Committee Members including Senators Trent Lott (R-Miss.), John Kerry, (D-Mass.), Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), and John Sununu (R-N.H.).
The bipartisan compromise fuel efficiency language preserves the core of the Ten-in-Ten Fuel Economy Act introduced earlier this Congress by Senators Feinstein and Snowe, which was reported by the Commerce Committee in May.
Senator Inouye issued the following statement on the bipartisan compromise amendment included in the Energy Act.
“Mr. President, I rise in support of Amendment 1792, filed by Senators Stevens, Snowe, Alexander, and Carper, and cosponsored by Senators Feinstein and Kerry, among others. This bipartisan compromise reflects the input of Members, industry, and consumers, and is good policy for our nation.
I particularly wish to congratulate Senator Dianne Feinstein for her dedicated efforts over the years to update our nation’s fuel economy standards. The success of the amendment today is a tribute to her tenacious and skilled advocacy.
At every step of the legislative process following the introduction of S. 357, the Ten-in-Ten Fuel Economy Act, by Senators Feinstein and Olympia Snowe, the authors and cosponsors of S. 357 and Members of the Senate Commerce Committee have worked together in a bipartisan manner to address the concerns of the automotive industry. In particular, this group worked hard to ensure that automakers will not face a significant burden when meeting the first improvements to fuel economy standards in more than 30 years.
I am pleased that Members from both sides of the aisle continued to work together to produce the amendment adopted today. While addressing a number of the concerns raised by automakers regarding the Feinstein-Snowe Ten-in-Ten Fuel Economy Act as reported by the Commerce Committee, the amendment preserves the core goals and fuel savings of Ten-in-Ten.
The amendment directs the Secretary of Transportation to increase fuel economy for automobiles to 35 miles per gallon by 2020, as in Ten-in-Ten. But in the years that follow from 2021 to 2030, the Secretary shall increase fuel economy at a maximum feasible rate instead of at a pace of 4 percent per annum.
If we have a breakthrough in battery technology, then 4 percent per year may well be too low. If there are unforeseen problems, 4 percent may be too high. The amendment will allow the Secretary to set an appropriate standard in the future.
The Kerry-Cantwell second degree amendment to the Stevens-Carper-Feinstein-Snowe-Kerry amendment also directs the Secretary to establish and implement an action plan to ensure that 50 percent of the vehicles for sale in 2015 are alternative fuel automobiles. We must encourage manufacturers to improve their fleets’ fuel economy by exploring new technologies and producing alternative fuel vehicles. I commend Senators Kerry and Cantwell for developing this compromise amendment that addresses this important goal.
By adopting the bipartisan compromise amendment and H.R. 6 as amended, we will place the country on a path toward reducing our nation’s dependence on foreign oil, protecting the environment, and helping consumers deal with rising gas prices.
Finally, I wish to express my appreciation for the excellent efforts of the dedicated staff on the Senate Commerce Committee including David Strickland, Alex Hoehn-Saric, Ken Nahigian, Mia Petrini, and Jared Bomberg.”
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| 18th - |
Senator Hutchison Calls for Improved Bus Safety Standards
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Ranking Member on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today called for improved safety of over-the-road buses and enhanced National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations governing bus safety during a Senate Surface Transportation Subco...
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| 18th - |
Commerce Committee Announces Witnesses for DTV Transition Hearing
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announces the witnesses for the Full Committee hearing on Oversight of the DTV Transition: Countdown to February 2009, scheduled for Tuesday, September 23, 2008, at 2:30 p.m. The full witness list is below.
With February 17, 2009 less than five months away, the Committee will assess the Federal Communication...
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| 18th - |
Commerce Committee Announces Witnesses for U.S.-Korea Automobile Trade Imbalance Hearing
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announces the witnesses for the upcoming Interstate Commerce, Trade, and Tourism Subcommittee hearing on The Imbalance in U.S.-Korea Automobile Trade, scheduled for September 24, 2008, at 10:00 a.m. A full witness list is below.
The hearing will examine the reasons for the imbalance in U.S.-Korea bilateral ...
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| 17th - |
Commerce Committee to Examine Consumer Privacy Issues Related to Broadband Service Providers
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announces a Full Committee hearing on Broadband Providers and Consumer Privacy, scheduled for Thursday, September 25, 2008, at 10:00 a.m.
The Committee will examine broadband provider practices with respect to consumer privacy.
Broadband Providers and Consumer PrivacyFull CommitteeDate: Thursday, Septemb...
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| 16th - |
Senator Hutchison Commends Dept. of Commerce for Helping Nursing Homes with DTV Converter Box Program
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) today commended the U.S. Department of Commerce and Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez for allowing residents with post office boxes and those living in nursing homes to participate in the digital television (DTV) converter box coupon program. Previously, only residents with physical addresses could participate. This meant that those who ...
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| 16th - |
Inouye Calls for Immediate Passage of S.1492, the Broadband Data Improvement Act
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) delivered the following statement at today’s hearing on why broadband matters.
“In our hearing today we explore why broadband matters. Broadband matters because broadband communications have become the great economic engine of our time. Broadband deployment drives opportunities for business, education, ...
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| 16th - |
Commerce Committee Announces Witnesses for Bus Safety Hearing
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| 12th - |
Commerce Committee to Hear Testimony from Corporation for Public Broadcasting Nominees
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| 12th - |
Commerce Committee to Review Progress of DTV Transition with FCC, NTIA
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| 12th - |
Commerce Committee Announces Witnesses for Hearing on Consumer Benefits of Broadband
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| 11th - |
Commerce Committee Releases MARAD Bill Financial Disclosure Certification
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation today filed its report on S. 2997, the Maritime Administration Act for Fiscal Year 2009. In accordance with Senate Rule XLIV, the Committee provides the attached financial disclosure certification.
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| 11th - |
Commerce Committee Cancels Hearing to Examine Marine Protected Areas
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Senator Hutchison Cosponsors Calling Card Legislation to Help Consumers
- WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Ranking Member on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today signed on as a cosponsor to legislation that would assist consumers with pre-paid calling cards and ensure that fees and terms are easier to understand. The bill, S. 2998, would require pre-paid calling card providers and distributors to disclose the numbe...
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Commerce Committee to Hold Hearing on Consumer Benefits of Broadband
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Commerce Committee to Examine Marine Protected Areas
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| 8th - |
Commerce Committee Announces Witnesses for Prepaid Calling Card Hearing
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