The American Security Project (ASP) commends the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency for issuing finalized new fuel economy standards. These standards will increase fuel economy to the equivalent of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025 – doubling the average fuel economy of 2007.

These standards will reduce America’s oil consumption by more than 2 million barrels a day by 2025, protecting American consumers from the sudden gasoline price shocks we’ve seen over the last four years and enhancing our national security.

ASP’s CEO, Brigadier General Stephen Cheney, USMC (Ret) said:

“America must reduce its dependence on oil: our national security and welfare is imperiled by our dependence. Unfortunately, we cannot drill our way out of this dependence. This means that the only way to reduce American vulnerability to oil shocks is to reduce the amount of oil we need every day.”

ASP’s Senior Fellow for Energy and Climate Policy, Andrew Holland, said:

“America’s reliance on oil undermines our national security by making the price of oil, not America’s values or interests, the major concern in foreign policy decisions. To release us from our dependence, it is essential we use less oil. New technologies and new fuels mean that we can do this without changing our everyday driving patterns.

We support this proposal because it shows that America can use a true public-private partnership between government and industry to achieve a goal that is critical to our national security. This new rule is a model for how government should work: setting standards in conjunction with the private sector to develop and deploy the best technology is a truly American solution.”

These standards, issued jointly today by the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency, are an important step in breaking America’s crippling dependence on oil. The Automakers (including Ford, General Motors, Chrysler, Toyota, and others), the United Auto Workers and the Administration have come together to agree to an aggressive, but achievable plan. ASP, a non-partisan institution devoted to America’s long-term national security, strongly supports these standards because they will increase our national security by reducing our reliance on oil.

For more on ASP’s work on the national security importance of fuel economy standards and dependence on oil, please see the below:

• ASP Perspectives: Cause and Effect: U.S. Gasoline Prices
• ASP Event: National Security and Fuel Economy with Lieutenant General Norman R. Seip, USAF (Ret)
• ASP Presentation: National Security and Fuel Economy: How Dependence on Oil Impacts National Security
• Open Letter from Retired military generals and admirals: The National Security Case for Higher Fuel Standards

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