Better mileage standards imperative for Earth Day

Better mileage standards imperative for Earth Day: "MAINE VOICES: Sen. Olympia Snowe
Better mileage standards imperative for Earth Day

Copyright � 2006 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

About the Author
Sen. Olympia Snowe, a Republican, represents Maine in the U.S. Senate.

The cost of gasoline these days is something I hear a lot about across the state of Maine. Prices close to $3 per gallon are hitting families and businesses dramatically, forcing many to cut back on vacations or raise the cost of basic goods sold at the local grocery store.

Unfortunately, we have summer's traditionally higher gas prices to anticipate.

It is indeed true that our nation is addicted to oil. Yet the average fuel economy of cars and trucks is lower than it was 20 years ago - helping to push U.S. oil dependence to an all-time high.

We now rely on imports for 60 percent of our oil and, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, the United States sends nearly $500,000 to other countries every minute of every day just to keep our oil flowing.

On this Earth Day weekend, I believe it is essential that we remember that being strong environmental stewards of our natural resources makes good economic sense. Finding ways to be more efficient saves money for people in Maine and across the country.

That is why I believe the federal government once and for all must dramatically increase the Corporate Average Fuel Economy of our nation's automobiles to lessen the burden of our dangerous dependency on oil imports from volatile regions of the world and to ease consumers' pain at the pump.

Unfortunately, recent proposals by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration provide only minuscule improvements in the fuel economy of SUVs and minivans and do little to help reduce gas prices.

These NHTSA standards would require SUV, pickup and minivan fuel economy increases of a mere 1.8 mpg by 2011. These are paltry improvements that amount to little more than lip service to an issue that deserves serious consideration.

I believe we must do more to increase these CAFE standards and that it can be done without stifling consumers' ability to choose what they drive.

Amazingly, even a modest increase of only 5 miles per gallon in the fuel efficiency of our automotive fleet would save approximately 23 billion gallons of gasoline each year, reducing oil imports by an estimated 14 percent.

A fleet-wide increase of 10 miles per gallon would save 38 billion gallons, cutting oil imports by almost one-fifth. For years, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and I have fought to close the "SUV loophole," a provision in law that requires SUVs, minivans, and pickups to achieve a mere 21.3 mpg fuel economy standard, while cars must achieve 27.5 mpg.

We remain committed to moving beyond just closing this loophole to more broadly make our cars and trucks even more fuel-efficient.

Ending our dangerous dependency on oil also demands a national commitment to fostering alternative fuels. Using some Maine's most abundant resources as alternatives to oil could very well be the economic future of our state.

Our forest products industry is in the process of being transformed. With $1 million in funding I helped secure for the Maine Forest Bioproducts Research and Development Initiative, our state is on the front lines developing biofuels and fuel additives. Many of our farmers even rotate their potato crops with canola to produce biodiesel.

Providing incentives to spur the development and use of renewable energy resources like biodiesel, biomass, wind, geothermal and solar power is essential to their long-term viability. That is why I fought to ensure that the first-ever tax incentives for biomass were included in last year's energy bill.

The legislation, now law, also provides a refundable tax credit of 50 cents per gallon for biodiesel and $1 per gallon for agri-biodiesel made from vegetable oils.

Rewarding our farmers, businesses and consumers for being more efficient with the limited resources we have and for developing the resources of the future should be a national priority.

For Maine and America, environmentalism is not just a moral imperative of leaving a more prosperous and healthy planet for our children. It is also critical to the economic well-being of our nation.

On Earth Day, we must remember that lessening our addiction to oil and pursuing alternative energy sources will only make our country stronger.