Energy Bill Boosts Fuel-Economy Standards

WASHINGTON (AP) - Calling it a major step toward energy
independence, President Bush has signed legislation that will bring
more fuel-efficient vehicles into showrooms.
The president signed the bill at a ceremony at the Energy
Department this morning.
The legislation requires automakers to increase fuel efficiency
by 40 percent to an industry average 35 miles per gallon by 2020.
It also ramps up production of ethanol to 36 billion gallons a year
by 2022.
Bush says the new requirements will help reduce U.S. dependency
on foreign oil by reducing demand for gasoline and diversifying the
nation's fuel supply.
The House overwhelmingly passed the energy bill yesterday after
the Senate cleared it last week. The original legislation included
21 billion dollars in taxes, which were dropped to get the bill
approved.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)