President Bush Calls for Higher Fuel Economy Standards & Use of Alternative Fuels

Washington, DC, May 14, 2007—President Bush’s announcement today that his administration will push for higher fuel economy standards and increased use of alternative fuels was met with disappointment by energy policy analysts at the free-market Competitive Enterprise Institute.

“The alternative fuel mandates supported by President Bush and passed recently by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will do almost nothing to reduce our dependence on foreign oil imports, but will have huge costs for American consumers, workers, and taxpayers.  The current ethanol mandate is already raising gasoline and food prices.  Increasing the mandate by roughly 450 per cent so quickly is likely to cause significant increases in the price of motor fuel and huge increases in food prices,” said Myron Ebell, director of energy policy at CEI. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” />

“With gas prices rising, Americans are already moving to conserve oil and boost fuel efficiency in a far more intelligent manner than that proposed by the President.  Higher fuel economy standards will only succeed in restricting consumer choice, destroying jobs, and increasing traffic fatalities.  It's a shame that the President, spurred by a political desire to appear pro-active, is taking one of our worst federal programs and making it even worse,” said Sam Kazman, general counsel at CEI.

Visit CEI's website for more information on energy policy and fuel economy standards.