Energy Bill 2007

From the Union of Concerned Scientists:

Late last night the Union of Concerned Scientists and our allies won a major victory on fuel economy! Thanks in part to your numerous emails and phone calls, the Senate voted yesterday to substantially increase the corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standard of America's cars and trucks for the first time in over 30 years—setting a target of 35 miles per gallon by 2020.
At a press conference in the U.S. Capitol, UCS staff were invited to stand up with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and other Senate leaders. UCS was explicitly recognized for our work in helping to get this critical legislation passed—work that we couldn’t have done without your help and support!

The next step will be to get these strong standards passed in the House and signed intolaw. We’ll need your help so look for more alerts in the months ahead. But fuel economy standards were only part of the Energy Bill that was passed yesterday. Unfortunately, we were less successful in another one of our main objectives—increasing our use of clean, renewable electricity from sources like the sun, energy crops, and wind. UCS and a national coalition were blocked from adding a national renewable energy standard to the Senate energy bill by a small group of senators. But Senate leadership has committed to letting the standard be introduced as an amendment. We still have a good shot for a vote at some point this year.

UCS supporters and activists like you have played a pivotal role in convincing 23 states and the District of Columbia to adopt renewable energy standards. A federal standard is still one of the most practical solutions to global warming, so we'll be turning to you once again in the coming months to voice your support for a federal renewable electricity standard—and for passing the fuel economy standard in the House. But for today, let's take time to celebrate this historic moment!