Washington, D.C.— Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE) President and CEO Robbie Diamond today made the following statement:

“Automakers like Ford that reached an agreement with California on fuel economy standards should be applauded.  Without such a compromise, the inevitable result would be endless litigation — a worst-case scenario for all sides. These efforts by members of the auto industry and California should be a signal that the administration should resume negotiations.”

In comments on the administration’s original proposal, and in a June 20 letter to two subcommittees of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, SAFE explained how rolling back the existing standards would run counter to American national interests, particularly with regard to safety and fuel efficiency.

Previous agency analysis, and current expert opinion, run counter to the findings in the Administration’s notice of proposed rulemaking that freezing fuel economy will save 12,000 lives. Recent studies have concluded that universal adoption of existing crash-avoidance technologies could save 9,900 lives each year, and these same technologies could eventually generate system-wide fuel savings of 18 to 25 percent when integrated in parallel with other efficiency technologies.

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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