35 Miles Per Gallon Standard

This week I read an article from the Los Angeles Times about a bill that has the potential to greatly effect our environment in a positive way. Congress is proposing a measure providing for a 40% increase in fuel efficiency for new cars and light trucks by 2020 for a fleetwide average of 35 miles per gallon. This bill is expected to include a requirement that greater amounts of homegrown fuel such as ethanol be added t the nation’s gasoline supply. It also is likely to include a measure requiring utilities to generate more electricity from cleaner sources such as the sun and wind. Most Republicans seem to have complaints about this bill because they feel that it would lead to lighter, less safe vehicles, threaten auto industry jobs and limit customer choice. However, higher gas prices have many people thinking that this bill will probably be passed. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers expressed support for the measure on Saturday.
I think that this measure is an important one and will have a strong impact on our environment. The United States needs to become a more fuel efficient country. I believe this bill forces auto makers to become creative and find ways to make fuel efficient cars more accessible and better. I think the other aspects of the bill are good too, using sun and wind energy. Cutting down on the amount of oil we use could help the prices to go down and will also be better for the environment so I really hope President Bush doesn’t veto it.