Business, National Security Leaders Back Inouye-Stevens Fuel Economy Bill

Chairman's Mark Includes Historic Fuel Economy Improvements

WASHINGTON, May 4, 2007; The Energy Security Leadership Council (ESLC), a project of Securing America's Future Energy (SAFE), today expressed strong support for the Senate Commerce Committee mark, which was released this afternoon, amending fuel economy legislation, the Ten- in-Ten Fuel Economy Act. ESLC co-Chairs Fredrick W. Smith, Chairman, President and CEO of FedEx, and General P.X. Kelley, USMC (Ret.), issued the following statement in support of the legislation:

"The ESLC strongly embraces the bold leadership exercised by Chairman Inouye, Vice Chairman Stevens, Senator Byron Dorgan and other members of the Committee who have been instrumental in moving toward reforming and strengthening American fuel economy standards. Senators Larry Craig, Dianne Feinstein, and Olympia Snowe are to be commended for their contribution to this effort as well.

"The ESLC believes that the Ten-in-Ten Fuel Economy Act, as amended, represents bold bipartisan action on an issue that is of the utmost importance to the economic and national security of the United States: oil dependence. We support the legislation and believe that it promises to spur major improvements in the efficiency of the transportation fleet, including cars and light trucks as well as medium and heavy-duty trucks. This is a courageous bipartisan effort.

"The provisions in the legislation closely reflect the recommendations proposed by the ESLC. If enacted, the fuel economy of the nation's cars and light trucks will increase by approximately 3.5 percent per year on average. This rate is entirely in line with historical gains in fuel efficiency from 1975 to 1985, and it will significantly reduce the amount of oil consumed by our vehicles in the coming decades. Moreover, by applying fuel economy improvements to medium and heavy trucks, the Senate Commerce Committee has embraced an approach that will meaningfully reduce America's oil dependence.

"By including off-ramps in the legislation, the Committee has recognized automakers and consumers' legitimate need for flexible standards.

"The Ten-in-Ten Fuel Economy Act works to safeguard the competitiveness of American automakers by applying vehicle attribute-based standards, not a single corporate average as well as ruling out a 'uniform percentage increase.' This is a marked shift away from the current system.

"On behalf of the ESLC, we support the Chairman's mark of the Ten-in-Ten Fuel Economy Act, and we urge all members of the Senate Commerce Committee and of the Congress to embrace this historic opportunity to improve the economic and national security of the United States. The time for action is now."