Photo by gisleh from Flickr.

On Friday, the US House of Representative voted 235-181 to approve a major energy bill that would substantially raise fuel efficiency standards for the first time since 1975 when the OPEC oil embargoes, triggering oil shortages and long-lines at the pump, drove Congress to increase fuel economy.

Under the new bill, fuel economy for cars and light trucks would rise 40% from its current level of roughly 25 miles per gallon to 35 miles per gallon by the year 2020. While the change would be significant, it’s still a far cry from the much more ambitious aim of European nations to achieve 38 miles per gallon for gasoline-fueled vehicles by 2008. Japan, another country with fuel efficiency standards, is more in line with the Europeans, aiming for 35 miles per gallon by 2010.

In addition to increased fuel efficiency, the bill also mandates the introduction of 36 billion barrels of ethanol into the national fuel mix by 2022. It also includes new energy efficiency standards for buildings, which account for nearly 40% of the nation’s energy use. Read the rest of this entry »

Share This