Washington, D.C., May 19, 2009 – The Alliance to Save Energy today hailed the Obama administration"s new policy establishing a unified national limit on vehicle tailpipe emissions and accelerating by four years an average fuel economy standard of 35.5 miles per gallon for all passenger vehicles as "an historic step forward and a 'win-win-win" for consumers, the environment and U.S. energy security."

Alliance President Kateri Callahan said: "The new CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards and emissions policies continue and speed up the forward drive to a green energy future that has been promised by this administration."

Callahan added: "This 'two-front" fuel efficiency and climate policy will help our nation to become a world leader in energy efficiency and will achieve measurable benefits for our economy, environment, and energy security."

The Alliance congratulated the Obama administration for negotiating a set of policies that will be embraced – not fought – by all of the key stakeholders, ensuring that the policies will be aggressively and successfully implemented. Through the life of the program and the vehicles, the new mileage averages will reportedly save 1.8 billion barrels of oil and reduce carbon emissions equivalent to taking 177 million cars off the road for a year. They also are projected to reduce new vehicle emissions by 30 percent. And while the requirements will reportedly up the price of a new car in 2016 by $1,300 compared to today"s vehicle prices, consumers will see those dollars returned in fuel savings.

Callahan concluded: "After more than three decades of falling behind, with actions on fuel economy and huge investments through the economic stimulus package, the administration is 'leap-frogging" to world leadership in crafting and implementing public policies that will allow us to reap the full economic, security and environmental benefits promised by using our energy resources more efficiently."