mr. chairman , i rise in strong support of the markey-boehlert , et al amendment . 
people used to own slaves and we look back and say how could they ? 
future generations will say we destroyed the environment and how could we ? 
let us conserve , let us see oil prices go down as we stop wasting what we have . 
suvs , mini-vans , and trucks need to get better mileage ; and we need to tell the automobile manufacturers to make this happen . 
mr. chairman , i rise in strong support of the support of the amendment to reduce our consumption of oil by increasing fuel economy standards for passenger cars and light trucks . 
this amendment requires the department of transportation to raise fuel economy standards for automobiles from today 's average of 25 miles per gallon to 33 miles per gallon by 2015 . 
under this amendment , the administrator of the national highway transportation safety administration will have maximum flexibility in how the standards are set . 
the standard could be increased for cars or suvs or only the heaviest trucks . 
mr. chairman , i agree with those who say , `` we can not conserve our way out of this energy problem. '' however , until we raise cafe standards , we can not honestly tell the american people this is a balanced energy plan . 
it is absolutely imperative we are more efficient and make better use of our precious resources . 
this is a common sense amendment , which represents a modest step forward in our nation 's efforts to become more energy efficient . 
our amendment will help protect the environment , reduce our dependence on foreign oil and save drivers money at the pump . 
the united states can not continue on a course of increased oil consumption with little to no regard for the implications it has on our environment , economy and national security . 
there is no better time to focus on reducing our reliance on foreign oil than right now . 
increased fuel efficiency standards and tax incentives for conservation and renewable energy sources should be at the heart of our national energy policy in a post-september 11 world . 
