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The Honorable Ray LaHood	 The Honorable Lisa Jackson 

Secretary	 Administrator 

Department of Transportation	 Environmental Protection Agency 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE	 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW 

Washington, DC 20590	 Washington, DC 20004 

Dear Secretary LaHood and Administrator Jackson: 

Today jobs, the economy and energy security are on the minds of every American. The BismarckMandan Chamber of Commerce represents 1,200 businesses with 43,000 employees in our community. 

Our organization is focused on proactive policies to address these critical issues and improving North 

Dakota's economy and maintaining a strong energy and transportation industry. In a rural state, 

transportation is a critical component of our economic vitality. Given that your agencies are now 

developing national fuel economy standards for 2017-2025, we wanted to provide input on the 

proposals. 

Safe, efficient and reliable transportation impacts each individual, family, business and farmer/rancher 

in our state. In our state, our businesses are watching the recent increase in gas prices and turmoil in 

the Middle East with great concern. We agree with the concept of reducing fuel use and specifically 

dependence on foreign oil. Your efforts to improve fuel economy by laying out a long-term program are 

commendable. However, we encourage you to carefully consider a balanced and thoughtful approach. 

We encourage NHTSA and EPA to adopt a single, national fuel economy standard that considers 

America's needs for increased fuel economy while preserving the choices for families, farms and 

businesses to meet their transportation needs without sacrificing affordability, safety, or jobs. NHTSA 

and EPA have already set strong standards for 2012-2016 that raise the fleet average by 40% to 35 miles 

per gallon. Looking forward, technology improvements should continue to support increases in fuel 

economy and greenhouse gas standards. However, overreaching regulations can place a significant cost 

burden on individuals, families, farms, businesses and ultimately the economy in North Dakota. 

P.O. Box 1675 Bismarck, North Dakota 58502-1 675 

Phone: (701) 223-5660 Fax: (701) 255-6125 

E-Mail Address: info@bismarckmandan.com

www.bismarckmandan.com
www. bismarckrnandan. corn 

It is important that standards for 2017-2025 support a broad range of consumer needs in terms of utility 

and function. Americans need a range of vehicles to meet their family and business needs. In North 

Dakota, our weather and large geographical areas require a different capacity than Americans that live 

in more urban areas. Large families require automobiles with sufficient passenger space, including room 

for multiple child-safety seats. Small businesses need vans and utility vehicles; agriculture depends on 

pickups, as do the construction industry, the oil industry and local trades. 

Our region's businesses all share the need for affordable transportation. The next phase of fuel 

economy standards should not pick winners and losers, but should support a variety of technologies and 

fuel diversity to preserve affordability. If fuel economy standards increase too quickly, resulting in more 

expensive vehicles, and limited availability of pickups and light duty trucks, many of our region's 

consumers can be expected to hold on to their older vehicles longer and defer buying a new car, which 

could put jobs across the country at risk and delay compliance with federal air quality standards. 

Affordability, customer choice and job preservation is as much as priority as raising the fuel economy 

standards. 

As Bismarck-Mandan Chamber of Commerce, we think every day about ways to promote job creation 

and security for our region, and for ways to improve North Dakota's economy and business climate. We 

encourage you to carefully balance the factors that impact sensible fuel economy standards, including 

consumer choice, affordability and the economic concerns that weigh on our nation's fragile recovery. 

Ke1in Hullet, President 

Bismarck-Mandan Chamber 

Cc: The Honorable Kent Conrad 

The Honorable John Hoeven 

The Honorable Rick Berg 

P.O. Box 1675 Bismarck, North Dakota 58502-1 675 

Phone: (701) 223-5660 Fax: (701) 255-6125 

E-Mail Address: info@bismarckmandan.com

www.bismarckmandan.com
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