Ed Markey: “In 1987, the fuel economy standard for the United States reached 27 miles per gallon. It had increased to that amount…”

“In 1987, the fuel economy standard for the United States reached 27 miles per gallon. It had increased to that amount over a 10-year period because of an act of Congress. That act of Congress changed our relationship with imported oil so that it reduced dramatically our dependence upon imported oil. Since that time, we have sequenced the human genome in medicine, revolutionizing that industry. We have deployed the Internet around the world, revolutionizing communications. We have changed our defense technology such that we could bring a country like Iraq to its knees within 3 weeks. But in fuel economy standards, we have gone backwards, back to 24 miles per gallon, increasing to 65 percent our dependence upon imported oil. If we do not pass this amendment, we will have 70 and 75 and 80 percent dependence upon imported oil over the next generation. This is the most important amendment we are going to consider today. I ask for an ``aye'' vote on the Boehlert-Markey amendment.”