New CAFE Bill Finally Passes

Well, it's official. And it's about time. Thursday night the United States Senate approved an energy bill slated to raise the bar on fuel economy to 35 mpg by 2020. This is the first congressionally mandated hike in the CAFE program since its 1975 inception, according to a recent news release from Automotive News. Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del. was quoted in the same release as saying, "This is a victory for America," and it was reported that he thinks the bill will reduce energy usage and greenhouse gases without undermining the automobile industry.

After a final vote of approval by the House of Representatives next week, the bill is expected to be signed into law by the President. The changes will then begin to be phased in with 2011 models. Even though the bill was revamped to remove tax hikes and provisions for utilities to utilize more renewable fuels, the bill requires a significant increase in alternative fuel production. It also provides much-needed incentives for alt fuel production and the purchase of energy-efficient products.

But how much oil will it save overall? Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, reportedly said the hike in standards will save more than one million barrels of oil a day by 2020. Automotive News reports that our nation uses about 21 million barrels a day--with eight million powering our cars and trucks.

All we can say is: What took them so long? And will it be enough ... soon enough?

photo © Dave Einsel / Getty Images