Do You Agree? 78% of U.S. Voters Support '40 mpg by 2010'
Even as major automakers
and some federal lawmakers try to slam the brakes on plans to accelerate
federal fuel-efficiency vehicle standards, more than three out of four
Americans (76 percent) -- including 78 percent of 2008 voters -- want
Congress to raise the mile-per-gallon (MPG) requirement sharply now to 40
mpg by 2010 rather than waiting to reach a more modest MPG goal by 2018,
according to a major new Opinion Research Corporation (ORC) survey
conducted for the nonprofit Civil Society Institute (CSI) think tank and
its 40MPG.org project.
It turns out that American voters have excellent reasons to be at odds
with automakers, Congress and the Bush Administration when it comes to go-
ahead-slow hikes to federal fuel-efficiency vehicle standards: A separate
CSI/40MPG.org report shows that, compared to the much more modest
35-MPG-by- 2018 approach set out in one major bill on Capitol Hill, a
40-MPG-by-2010 plan would (1) save consumers a total of $246 billion at the
gas pump by 2018, (2) cut 2.4 trillion additional pounds of carbon dioxide
(CO2) pollution linked to global warming and (3) offset the equivalent of
the current U.S. reliance on oil imported from the Middle East. Under the
more aggressive mileage standard, 58 percent of the vehicles on the road in
the U.S. would achieve 40 mpg by 2018 versus 11 percent or less under the
go-ahead-slow approach.
Key findings of the CSI/40MPG.org survey include the following: There
is little partisan difference in the preference of Americans for raising
federal standards by 2010 to 40 mpg, with support from Democrats at 82
percent, Independents at 80 percent, and Republicans at 72 percent. Half of
Americans (53 percent) say they would be more likely to support a candidate
who advocated a 40 mpg fuel-efficiency standard as a way to lower global
warming and reduce U.S. reliance on Middle Eastern oil. Over a quarter of
Americans (28 percent) say that a 40 mpg stance would make them as likely
to support a candidate, and only 15 percent say it would make them less
likely to back such a candidate.
Civil Society Institute President and 40MPG.org founder Pam Solo said:
"Today, as Detroit's Big 3 and Toyota launch an astonishingly short-sighted
advertising and lobbying campaign to block even modest improvements in
vehicle fuel efficiency, it is time for Washington and Detroit to address
the fact that our nation is needlessly losing the race to develop the best
fuel- efficient vehicle technology. American consumers want to purchase
these vehicles. Increasing fuel efficiency can simultaneously reduce our
reliance on Middle Eastern oil, cut greenhouse emissions, save quality auto
industry jobs and help build the US economy."
40MPG.org spokesperson Ailis Aaron Wolf said: "The rest of the world is
leaving America behind in the rear-view mirror when it comes to increased
vehicle fuel-efficiency standards. The new 40MPG.org report shows that
Americans want the more than 100 highly fuel-efficient vehicles already on
the road in other parts of the world, but not here in the U.S. Even as
Congress considers a go-ahead-slow approach to gradually raise federal fuel
efficiency standards to 35 mpg (or even less) by-2018 (or even later),
Europe, China and Asia are all on track to achieve 35-40 mpg during this
decade."
Opinion Research Corporation Senior Research Associate Graham Hueber
said: "A bipartisan majority of American voters want Congress to act
quickly to hike federal fuel-efficiency standards to 40 miles per gallon
(MPG) by 2010 instead of moving much slower to reach a lower MPG level a
decade later. It is clear that Americans want bold action on
fuel-efficiency, not modest steps that unfold over many more years or even
decades than is necessary to get the job done."
REPORT HIGHLIGHTS
According to the new CSI/40MPG.org report, a focus on a 40-MPG-by-2010
versus a 35-MPG-by-2018 approach would mean:
-- Total U.S. vehicle carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions under the 35 MPG-by-
2018 plan would drop only 3 percent by 2018 from 2010 levels ...
versus a 14 percent drop under the 40 MPG-by-2010 plan. The 40 mpg
approach would take 2.4 trillion more pounds of CO2 emissions out of
the air than the go-ahead-slow approach. CO2 pollution is linked to
global warming.
-- The 40 MPG-by-2010 plan would more than wipe out by 2018 the equivalent
of America's current dependence on Middle Eastern oil. Oil consumption
in 2018 would drop by 16 percent (under 40 MPG-by-2010) versus 3
percent (35 MPG-by-2018).
-- Based on a $3-a-gallon gas price, consumers would save $246 billion
more at the pump from 2011 through 2018 under the 40 MPG-by-2010
approach than under the much more gradual 35 MPG-by-2018 approach.
For a copy of the full CSI/40MPG.org report and the opinion survey, go
to http://www.40MPG.org and http://www.CivilSocietyInstitute.org on the
Web.
SURVEY METHODOLOGY
The new CSI/40MPG.org survey was conducted by Opinion Research
Corporation among a sample of 1,013 adults (504 men and 509 women) aged 18
and over living in private households in the Continental United States.
Interviewing for this survey was completed during the period of April
19-22, 2007.
The other survey mentioned here also was conducted by ORC and involved
1,019 adults (507 men and 512 women) aged 18 and over living in private
households in the Continental United States. Interviewing for the earlier
survey was completed during the period of September 15-18, 2005. Both
surveys were weighted by four variables: age, sex, geographic region and
race to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the total
population. The margin of error for both surveys at the 95 percent
confidence level is plus or minus 3 percentage points. Smaller sub-groups
in either survey will have larger error margins.
Source PR Newswire
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