The Soon to be New Fuel Efficiency Standards - 12/1/07

More hybrids. More cleaner diesels. Smaller engines and newer technology. And an initial sticker price increase that could total a couple thousand dollars that would be offset by fuel savings.

Those are the likely outcomes now that Congress has decided to increase the national fuel efficiency standards to 35 miles a gallon by 2020, from the current average of 25.

The House and Senate, after months of negotiation and lobbying, agreed to the new standards late Friday night. The deal should spur resolution next week of a broad energy bill that includes proposals to use more biofuel in the nation's fuel mix, eliminate tax incentives for the oil industry and require utilities to buy more renewable energy.

But the most closely-watched issue was fuel efficiency standards. The new standards could alter the cost of driving: The cost of new cars would at first increase but over time be offset by savings at the pump. Plus the environmental impact will be far more important then them all.

"The cost of the technology is dwarfed by the oil savings," said Ann Mevnikoff, Washington representative for the Sierra Club. "I think the American people would rather put that money into technology rather than see it disappear in oil."

The domestic auto industry had long opposed fuel efficiency increases saying they would be too expensive and would compromise safety by pushing consumers toward smaller, lighter vehicles. This has shown to not be true.

The measure seems likely to pass now that key congressional Democrats have reached an accord.

Vehicles in China average around 30 miles per gallon, a figure that is set to rise to about 35 miles per gallon by 2009, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists.

In Europe vehicles average about 37 miles per gallon and are set to get 50 miles a gallon by 2012. In Japan they currently average 45 miles per gallon. So you can see how far behind the US realy is. This bill is going to be very important for the future of our country.

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