Let's Get Off Oil News Releases

President Obama today announced a new initiative to encourage the production of alternative fuel vehicles, including a $1 billion National Community Deployment Challenge, as well as increased tax incentives and additional research grants.

This afternoon, Representative John Mica (R-FL), Chairman of the House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, officially introduced a major transportation reauthorization bill. The overall plan for the bill includes proposals to open the Atlantic and Pacific coasts as well as the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling, and to open landscapes in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming to oil shale extraction.  At the same time, it cuts all funding for biking and walking safety and cripples environmental review for transportation projects. On top of this, Speaker of the House John Boehner has said that he would attach approval of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline to this bill if it were not otherwise immediately approved.

As Americans prepare for the busiest travel holiday of the year, and days after the Obama administration proposed new fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks, a new Environment America report finds that more fuel efficient cars would significantly cut oil use and save Americans nearly $260 million at the pump this Thanksgiving alone. The report was released at an event today following the Obama administration’s announcement last week proposing new fuel efficiency and global warming pollution standards for cars and light trucks sold from 2017 through 2025.  

As the average price of gas creeps closer to $4 per gallon and Americans brace for further price increases, a new Environment America Research & Policy Center report finds that more fuel efficient cars would save the average American family $513 at the gas pump this summer alone. The report was released as the Obama administration is developing new fuel efficiency and global warming pollution standards for cars and light trucks.