In Iowa's Interest: Our new fight for independence
2007-07-06
Source: Senator Tom Harkin: The Traer St
As we celebrate the patriots who declared independence from Britain on July 4, 1776, it's time for a new generation of patriots to declare a different kind of independence - independence from our excessive reliance on foreign oil.
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rss feedRight now, we may be the world's only superpower, but we are a superpower with an exposed Achilles' heel: Our growing dependence on oil from the Middle East and elsewhere.
Over the last couple years, the price of that oil has nearly doubled, and gasoline prices have risen to an all time high. But things could get much worse. Bear in mind that our imported oil comes from some of the most volatile, unpredictable nations in the world, including Iraq, Iran, Nigeria, and Venezuela. A major blow-up in the Middle East could boost oil prices up towards $100 a barrel, and send prices at the pump to $4 or even $5 a gallon. That would be more than an irritation and inconvenience; it could throw the U.S. and world economies into recession.
It's time for patriotic Americans to get serious about using energy more efficiently and developing alternative energy sources here at home. On that score, there is good news this Independence Day.
On June 21, the U.S. Senate passed the CLEAN Energy Act of 2007 with a strong bipartisan vote of 65 to 27. This comprehensive legislation attacks our oil dependency from multiple angles. It mandates the use of 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels annually by 2022. In addition, the bill requires car manufacturers to increase the average mileage of new cars and light trucks to 35 miles per gallon by 2020 (compared to roughly 25 miles per gallon today). This is the first significant increase in fuel economy standards in more than two decades and it is a very reasonable one at that. We already have cars on the street today that get more than 35 miles a gallon, and by 2020, even large cars will easily be able to make that standard.
The bill also includes a whole range of energy efficiency provisions covering everything from lighting to the improving the energy efficiency of buildings.
Obviously, this legislation is good news for Iowa. Our state is already leading the way in producing renewable energy in the form of corn-based ethanol and wind power. And we will soon be moving aggressively into the production of ethanol from cellulosic sources such as switchgrass, wood pulp, and farm waste.
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