Washington, D.C.—Robbie Diamond, President and CEO of Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE), released the following statement following the 54-0 vote by the House Energy and Commerce to move autonomous vehicles (AV) legislation out of committee.

“Advancing the testing and deployment of AVs will improve roadway safety, increase transportation access for seniors and individuals with disabilities, and make our transportation system more efficient while breaking our dependence on the unfree global oil market. The unanimous approval of this bipartisan legislation in the House Energy & Commerce Committee is a testament to the excellent leadership of Chairman Latta, Rep. Dingell and other members, and we look forward to continuing to work with our partners in Congress as the bill moves forward. SAFE has supported many aspects of this bill from the beginning, including defining the appropriate roles of the federal and state governments, the rewriting of existing FMVSS regulations to properly address AVs and the creation of advisory committees around data sharing and disability engagement,” said Diamond.

SAFE published an updated analysis of the House E&C’s bipartisan legislation that outlines its many strengths and identifies areas for improvement.

Since early 2016, SAFE has been on the forefront of AV thought leadership and has provided concrete policy recommendations and testimony to state and federal-level legislators, agencies and the administration. SAFE’s notable publications include:

• A National Strategy on Energy Security (May 2016) lays out a comprehensive pathway for policymakers to reduce America’s oil dependence, including a number of recommendations to expedite the deployment of autonomous vehicles.
• Recommendations from the Commission on Autonomous Vehicle Testing and Safety (January 2017) includes a suite of best-practice recommendations based on the opinion of a panel of safety experts and former public officials committed to the safe and timely introduction of AVs.
• Report on the opportunities AVs provide to the disability community (January 2017) co-authored with the Ruderman Family Foundation, which found that autonomous vehicle technology could open 2 million employment opportunities for people with disabilities and $19 billion could be saved annually in healthcare costs.

Statement for the record studying the nexus between AVs and alternative fuel vehicles (February 2017), which found that 80 percent of current AV models employ an alternative fuel drivetrain.

About Securing America’s Future Energy

Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE) is an action-oriented, nonpartisan organization that aims to reduce America’s dependence on oil. Near-total dependence on petroleum in the transportation sector undermines the nation’s economic and national security, and constrains U.S. foreign policy. To combat these threats, SAFE advocates for expanded domestic production of U.S. oil and gas resources, continued improvements in vehicle fuel efficiency, and transportation sector innovations including electric vehicles, natural gas trucks, and autonomous vehicles. In 2006, SAFE joined with General P.X. Kelley (Ret.), 28th Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, and Frederick W. Smith, Chairman, President, and CEO of FedEx Corporation, to form the Energy Security Leadership Council (ESLC), a group of business and former military leaders committed to reducing the United States’ dependence on oil. Today, the ESLC is co-chaired by Frederick W. Smith and General James T. Conway (Ret), 34th Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps.

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