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WASHINGTON – Following months of negotiations, the U.S. House of Representatives today passed a comprehensive energy package aimed at promoting energy conservation and reducing dependence on fossil fuels. The Senate passed the bill on Monday and the White House is expected to sign it into law.
“This new policy will help reduce the demand for energy and save consumers money,” said Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Menominee), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “Diversifying our energy sources and promoting conservation is a critical first step in confronting our future energy needs.”
The Energy Independence and Security Act (H.R. 6) will increase Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, raising fuel efficiency from 22.2 miles per gallon (MPG) for trucks and SUVs and 27.5 MPG for passenger cars to a an industry average of 35 MPG by 2020. Cars will be responsible for a greater portion of the increase than trucks and SUVs. This is expected to reduce domestic oil consumption by more than 4 million barrels per day by 2030, saving American families $700 to $1,000 at the pump every year. Most importantly, the bill increases fuel economy standards while protecting American jobs and providing incentives to help manufacturers achieve these goals. The legislation also expands the renewable fuel standard (RFS), requiring the use of 36 billion gallons of American-grown biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel by 2022.
The comprehensive legislation includes provisions that will improve energy efficiency for appliances, lighting, residential buildings, commercial and federal buildings, industry and public institutions. The bill establishes new energy efficiency standards for future models of an array of products, including refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, clothes washers, residential boilers, electric motors, furnace fans and electric lamps.
“These energy efficiency provisions will reduce energy costs to consumers by at least $300 billion through 2030 and remove up to 10 billion tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the equivalent of what all the cars on the roads of America put out each year,” Stupak said.
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![[News From Congressman Bart Stupak]](stupakpr.gif)
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