Fuel me once

Amid a flurry of votes on energy issues in the House today, the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming held a hearing on the role of automobile fuel economy as gas prices continue to increase. "Because 70 percent of oil goes into transportation, any solutions to the oil crisis must focus on the transportation sector," said Select Committee Chair Ed Markey (D-Mass.). Tyler Duvall, the assistant secretary for policy at the Department of Transportation, was the first witness, testifying on behalf of the Bush administration on fuel economy standards. The 2007 energy bill called for an increase in CAFE standards to at least 35 miles per gallon by 2020. The bill authorized Duvall's agency, in conjunction with the EPA, to set attribute-based standards for cars that meet or exceed the 35-mile-per-gallon baseline.... [read full story]