Better fuel efficiency is possible

Say goodbye to the hope of doubling gas mileage on SUV’s in the near future. Last week, the Senate ignorantly passed a bill allowing auto makers to keep the gas mileage on SUV’s about the same as it has been. As a matter of fact, the national average for all cars is 24 miles per gallon, which is what it was in 1980. Obviously, no progress is being achieved in terms of auto makers meeting people’s environmental concerns.

So why wouldn’t they want to raise the gas mileage requirement? According to their reasoning, auto makers would have to produce smaller cars in order to efficiently raise gas mileage. This, in turn, would cause more accident fatalities because of the smaller and lighter frames of the cars, according to the Senate. However, a study conducted last year by the National Academy of Sciences proved that the size of the automobile is not necessarily directly related to its gas mileage.

The Senate turned down the request, which would preserve millions of barrels of oil, by a vote of 62-38. This huge majority shows they were swayed by the manipulating pull of the auto industry. If this proposal would have been passed, miles per gallon on SUV’s would have drastically increased twofold, to 36 miles per gallon. Not only would this preserve the environment, it would also save future SUV owners money on extra trips to the gas station.

A possibility, while it may seem unthinkable, is that the auto makers might have actually lobbied the government with soft money to sway them to vote a certain way. The Senate’s decision was pretty steep, in that more than half of the voters decided not to pass the bill.

Also, common sense states if we reduced gas intake, we would be less reliant on foreign countries and their oil. Less dependent on things such as oil just might prevent future wars, terrorism and hostility between nations.

Hopefully the proponents of the bill will not be stopped by this latest decision and will make their voices heard in Congress once again.

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Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the Campus Times Editorial Board.

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