State leaders want fuel efficiency for security, air

Better fuel economy helps AZ & USA.

WASHINGTON -- Below is an open letter sent to the President today signed by me in Tucson and 71 other state officials across 32 states.

Dear President Obama: We write in support of new standards to require that new passenger cars and light trucks average at least 60 miles per gallon by 2025 with greenhouse gas emission limits of 143 grams per mile. In addition, new standards should require that fuel efficiency in long-haul trucks improve by at least 35% by 2017.

The combination of these new standards would reduce our country's oil consumption by more than 45 billion gallons per year by 2030-more than one and a half times the amount we currently import from the Persian Gulf. Making this decision now would put American ingenuity to work to reduce the country's unsustainable dependence on oil.

Achieving better gas mileage is simply the fastest, cheapest and cleanest way for America to achieve progress on critical energy objectives.

Our constituents want cleaner, more efficient cars. That is why we supported California’s efforts along with 13 other states to put in place more stringent standards. As you know, the action by these states helped to build momentum for the federal standards your administration finalized on April 1, 2010. We thank you for your leadership and urge you now to build on those initial steps.

Achieving 60 mpg by 2025 can be done applying and improving on existing technologies, such as hybrid electric cars and electric vehicles. We have learned from cell phone, microwave, and computer technology that higher sales volumes lead to dramatic improvements in innovation and lower costs. More efficient vehicles will be good for the environment while they will also save consumers money at the pump. Greater efficiency under the new standards will keep in our economy some $1 billion dollars that we currently send overseas every day. Without stronger standards, American automakers will continue to lag in the global market for the clean cars, putting ever more American manufacturing jobs at risk.

We thank you for the leadership you and your administration have already shown on vehicle standards. We urge you to take the next steps to lead America beyond oil and into a clean energy future by setting strong fuel efficiency and carbon pollution standards for new cars and trucks.