AUTO FUEL EFFICIENCY

America ¡¦s automobile fuel efficiency is shameful! Europe's current regulation is 40 MPG and even China's current standard is 36 MPG and will rise to 43 MPG next year. Though we are far behind now, I know that the ingenuity and hard work of American auto industry workers can put us ahead! We must mandate that all vehicles sold in the United States meet a minimum 40 MPG standard by 2015. This will cut our oil demand by 1 billion barrels per year, an amount equal to our current imports from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela combined! Vehicles that do not meet this requirement will still be available, with a hefty ¡§energy efficiency¡¨ tax.

  In addition, we should mandate all automakers to produce alternative energy-powered "twin models" of their most popular automobiles by 2012. That is, each fossil fuel-powered car needs to be paired with a twin model powered by alternative energy like electricity, solar power, hybrid technology, biofuel, hydrogen, ¡K Most importantly, the prices of both the conventional and alternative-energy models must be the same to give consumers a real and fair choice! By 2015, all car manufacturers must offer identically-priced alternative-energy versions of half their model line.