Historic New Standards for the Next Generation of Vehicles

Last week in Detroit I delivered this testimony on behalf of National Wildlife Federation at a hearing on proposed light duty vehicle fuel economy and greenhouse gas standards for model years 2017-2025.

In 2009, when the tide was flowing against the auto industry, National Wildlife Federation stood up to support the auto recovery package because we believed that the U.S. auto industry could innovate to build the kind of clean cars and trucks that consumers – and our environment, increasingly demand.  Since then, the U.S. auto industry and its workers have proven they have what it takes for America to lead in a prosperous, clean energy future.  The standards being considered at the hearing today — which will double fuel economy from today’s levels by 2025 — are critical to staying on this path.

These standards are also critical for wildlife, which faces both the global threat of climate change and the direct impacts of oil spills and pollution.  By themselves, the 2017-2025 standards will save 4 billion barrels of oil and cut 2 billion metric tons of carbon pollution.  Taken together with the light and heavy duty vehicle standards being implemented now, they cut more oil than we get from the Persian Gulf, Venezuela, and Russia combined and cut carbon pollution annually by more than 650 million metric tons-equivalent to 10% of total U.S. carbon pollution today.  This is the single biggest step America has ever taken to cut carbon pollution and reduce our oil dependence.

 

Take action to protect wildlife and create jobs–show your support for strong fuel economy standards >>