Washington, DC- Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley issued the following statement after the President announced new fuel efficiency standards for medium and heavy duty trucks.
“Our nation is addicted to oil. This addiction is bad for our economy, our national security, and our climate, and it’s one we need to end. Cutting the oil we use for trucks will lower carbon pollution and save our companies money at the pump. This is a no brainer. I am pleased the President is taking us another step toward to ending our dependence on oil.”
Improving the fuel efficiency of trucks is an integral component of Senator Merkley’s roadmap to ending our dependence on overseas oil that he released in 2011.
Today, the President is directing the EPA and the DOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to develop and issue the next phase of medium- and heavy-duty vehicle fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas standards by March 2016. The new fuel efficiency standards will build on the first-ever standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (model years 2014 through 2018), which were proposed and finalized by the Administration and will save vehicle owners and operators an estimated $50 billion in fuel costs and save a projected 530 million barrels of oil, according to the White House.
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