Historic Legislation Improves Fuel Efficiency and Invests in Renewable Sources of Energy to Decrease the Harmful Effects of Global Warming

$3.07               Price per gallon of regular gas in the Philadelphia area
$807 million    Annual savings at the pump in PA by the year 2020 because of this bill
6,100               Number of jobs created in PA by year 2020 because of this bill

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Pennsylvania Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-8th District) joined his Democratic and Republican colleagues in the House of Representatives in voting for historic legislation that puts us on a path toward energy independence. The bill also will reduce our dependence on foreign oil, cut energy costs for families, reduce global warming, and grow our economy. The historic legislation was passed by a vote of 314-100 and will be sent to the President, who is expected to sign the bill into law tomorrow.

“The time to solve our nation’s energy problems is now,” said Congressman Patrick Murphy. “As someone who wore the uniform of the United States in the Middle East, I can say without a doubt that energy independence is vital to our national security. By improving fuel efficiency, this historic bill will help us end our dependence on foreign oil.”

“Energy independence isn’t a Democratic or Republican issue – with this bipartisan vote we showed that it is finally a national priority,” added Murphy.

The cornerstone of the Energy Independence and Security Act increases the fuel efficiency of vehicles to 35 miles per gallon by 2020. The legislation also expands the use of American-grown biofuels to 36 billion gallons in 2022 increases the efficiency of buildings, homes, appliances, and lighting. All totaled it cuts greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 by up to 24 percent of what the U.S. needs to do to stop climate change. This is the first congressional increase in CAFE standards in 32 years and the bill will strengthen our national security by slashing U.S. oil consumption by more than 4 million barrels per day by 2030.

The legislation will also save money for American consumers and strengthen the economy. Increased vehicle fuel efficiency will save American families between $700 to $1,000 a year at the pump and the new building, appliance, and lighting efficiency will save consumers $400 billion through 2030. Additionally, the development of biofuels and support for cutting-edge energy research will create hundreds of thousands of new jobs. Here in Pennsylvania, this provision would create 6,100 jobs and save families $807 million at the pump in 2020.[Source]

The bill is backed by a broad coalition of individuals and organizations from the environmental, labor, faith and business communities.

For Immediate Release, December 18, 2007
Contact: Adam Abrams, (202) 225-4276