To meet the current standard of 27.5, cars have steadily been downsized in size and weight. In the last 20 years, CAFE has caused about a 500-pound drop in the average weight of cars, and it has made cars less safe. If the standard were raised to 40 miles an hour, a 1992 study by John Graham of Harvard saidethat there would be an additional 5.5 percent increase in highway deaths, resulting in a total of 3,800- 5,800 fatalities. This is not just something that's made up. It's something that has been cited.
Large cars are much safer than small cars.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in the Department of Transportation has stated this throughout their literature, so the point being that higher CAFE standards at that level would have a lethal effect on thousands of motorists each year. It's not good for the environment, and it's not good for consumers. And I want to talk about the climate change policies and their inequitable impacts on individuals and families. We're going to see arbitrary gains and losses outside of people's control. Those who live in areas dependent on coal to produce electricity, for example, will find very, very sharp increases in their electricity bill.