Senator Harkin Applauds President Obama's Fuel Standards Announcement

Calls For Continued Investments In Renewables

May 19, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, released the following statement regarding President Obama’s announcement today of a new rule, which will increase fuel efficiency standards for new passenger vehicles.

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These efficiency gains will provide a proportionate decrease in tailpipe emissions, thus effectively establishing a nationwide regulation of greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles.

“I applaud President Obama and the Administration for pushing for higher efficiency standards for vehicles. I have long been an advocate for the production and use of more efficient vehicles as an important move towards reducing our nation’s dangerous reliance on foreign oil and preserving our natural resources.

“Today’s announcement is certainly a big step in the right direction, however, in addition to becoming more energy efficient, we must rapidly increase our use of, and investment in, clean, renewable sources of energy. The production of alternative fuels, such as biofuels, will not only help break our dependence on imported oil, but it will also create American jobs and help grow our economy. President Obama has previously said that he is a supporter of biofuels – as well as other renewable sources of energy such and wind and solar – and I am hopeful that the Administration and Congress will continue to work towards expanding our access to, and production of, alternative energy sources.”

Source: Senator Tom Harkin