Gasoline and Fuel Economy: Auto Industry at a Crossroads
Channel: HouseResourceOrg
Date: 2011-04-18

Gasoline and Fuel Economy: Auto Industry at a Crossroads - Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming - 2008-06-26 - On June 26th, The Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming discussed the future role of the auto industry and our federal government in fighting gas prices and examine the fuel economy standards proposed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in response to the enactment of the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007. NHTSA's proposal calls for the fleet of cars and light trucks to average 31.6 miles per gallon by model year 2015 - but when calculating these standards, NHTSA used Energy Information Administration (EIA) assumptions about gas prices that defy reality, ranging from .42/gallon in 2016 to .51/gallon in 2030. The administration concedes that gas prices are the most critical element in determining mile per gallon increases in America's vehicle fleet. At a hearing before the Select Committee earlier this month, the EIA said NHTSA should use the high end analysis for gas prices, which would have the effect of significantly raising the achievable miles per gallon in future vehicles. WITNESS LIST: The Honorable Tyler Duvall, Assistant Secretary for Policy, Department of Transportation; Mr. Dominique Thormann, Senior Vice President, Nissan North America, Inc.; Mr. Shai Agassi, Founder and CEO, Project Better Place; Mr. Torben Holm, Consultant, DONG Energy A/S; Mr. Jeffrey R. Holmstead, Partner, Bracewell and Giuliani LLP.  Video provided by the U.S. House of Representatives.