Political Quotes

“before us is the most important single amendment on the question of energy security of the United States. That is quite a bold assertion but I stand by that because we understand how dependent we are on foreign oil. We understand that as long as the cars and trucks that we use in America are not fuel efficient, we will continue to have this dependence on foreign oil. So if we want to secure the Nation from an energy point of view, we have to show leadership on the floor of the Senate. We did that in 1975; 28 years ago, we established standards that said to those producing cars for sale in America: You are not doing a good enough job. Fourteen miles a gallon is unacceptable. You have to do better and we will give you 10 years to improve that. And they did. At the end of 10 years, 27 and a half miles per gallon was the average fleet economy average across America. It was done because this Congress had the will. This Congress stood up to the special interest groups and said it is more important for the energy future of America and for families and businesses for us to have fuel efficiency. Look what we got for it: safe, fuel-efficient vehicles by 1985--double the fuel efficiency of just 10 years before. Now I come to the floor and say, why haven't we done anything since 1985? Eighteen years of inaction. Isn't it time for us to show leadership again? You would think I was proposing the end of the automobile industry in America.”