Here at Daily Kos, we are a community of many, a community of party activists, a community that only wants to see a better America. Personally, I have a deep passion to see legislation that seeks justice for each and every citizen get passed. I want to see the issue of poverty addressed in coherent manner, to see that those sitting on death row are given every opportunity to justice in the court system, to see that women are not abused. In the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly."
Therefore, I hope to find my niche here at Daily Kos as well as add another aspect to my own blog, Faithfully Liberal, by bringing a Daily Action Diary. It will cover the gauntlet of issues from financial issues to violence and hopefully everything in between. I encourage you to read the issue below and take the appropriate action if you deem it necessary.
Today’s action comes our way from the Natural Resource Defense Council:
With a 21-million-barrel per day oil habit, the United States consumes a quarter of the world's oil, loses nearly $25 billion from its economy every month (often to unfriendly oil suppliers) and remains vulnerable to a volatile global oil market. At the same time, scientists warn that without action to reduce global warming pollution within the next 10 years, we will be unable to avoid the most dangerous impacts of global warming. Since transportation accounts for two-thirds of our oil consumption and emits a third of our global warming pollution, making our transportation less reliant on oil is essential to enhancing our national security, protecting our economy and solving global warming. Raising vehicle fuel economy standards is the first critical step.
Just a little background:
What is CAFE?
Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) is the sales weighted average fuel economy, expressed in miles per gallon (mpg), of a manufacturer’s fleet of passenger cars or light trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 8,500 lbs. or less, manufactured for sale in the United States, for any given model year. Fuel economy is defined as the average mileage traveled by an automobile per gallon of gasoline (or equivalent amount of other fuel) consumed as measured in accordance with the testing and evaluation protocol set forth by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
What is the origin of CAFE?
The "Energy Policy Conservation Act," enacted into law by Congress in 1975, added Title V, "Improving Automotive Efficiency," to the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act and established CAFE standards for passenger cars and light trucks. The Act was passed in response to the 1973-74 Arab oil embargo. The near-term goal was to double new car fuel economy by model year 1985.
It is time to raise the miles per gallon that our vehicles get. Before I moved to Chicago, my car averaged about 25 mpg and that is considered good by many. Current standards are measly compared to other industrialized countries.
Cars and light trucks are considered separately for CAFE and are held to different standards. As of early 2004, the average for cars must exceed 27.5 mpg and the light truck average must exceed 20.7 mpg. Trucks under 8500 lb must average 22.5 mpg in 2008, 23.1 mpg in 2009, and 23.5 mpg in 2010. After this, new rules set varying targets based on truck size and class.
Overall fuel economy for both cars and light trucks in the U.S. market reached its highest level in 1987, when manufacturers managed 26.2 mpg (8.98 L/100 km). The average in 2004 was 24.6 mpg.[11] In that time, vehicles increased in size from an average of 3,220 pounds to 4,066 lb (1,461 kg to 1,844 kg).
All the while the European Union will shoot past 50 miles per gallon by 2012. Japan will surpass 45 mpg in 2010. Australia and Canada are quickly passing 30 mpg and will approach 35 mpg by 2010 respectively. Meanwhile, we remain stagnant and stubborn.
We need to reevaluate our desire to drive vehicles that that suck up our gas that costs more and more each day.
So please take action here.
Cross posted at Faithfully Liberal.