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## °^·^OFi'rlE ^ ' ^ CUTiV E SECREi;^,q^^ 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

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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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