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Senator Klobuchar Votes for Senate Energy Bill

Legislation offers incentives to Minnesota's emerging renewable energy sector

June 22, 2007

(Washington, D.C.) Using her key committee positions on Environment and Public Works, and Commerce Senator Klobuchar was instrumental in bringing the 2007 Energy Bill to the floor of the Senate, and negotiating its final passage.  The bill aims to improve the energy efficiency of buildings and vehicles, including a key provision to raise the fuel economy standards by 10 miles per gallon in the next ten years, and shift the country toward the use of homegrown biofuels.  The bill, the Clean Energy Act of 2007, aims to reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil sources and stimulate new investment in renewable technologies.

Senator Klobuchar was one of the key Senators among a group that negotiated to keep provisions increasing the fuel economy of our cars and trucks.

“Consumers deserve relief at the pump and increasing fuel economy standards is one major way to help them,” said Senator Klobuchar. “This bill requires auto manufacturers to improve the fuel efficiency of their vehicles, which can save families nearly $1000 a year on gas.  Our work on the Commerce Committee, and in this bill, brings us one step closer to producing real savings and real solutions.”

The provision in the bill that makes cars and trucks more fuel efficient originated in the Senate Commerce Committee, which Klobuchar is a member.  It requires an increase in fuel economy standards from 25 miles per gallon to 35 miles per gallon by 2020 and also requires that 50 percent of all vehicles made in the U.S. be flexible fuel vehicles – giving consumers the opportunity to use renewable fuels – by the year 2015.

In order to ensure renewable fuel consumption, the bill also requires 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels be used by the year 2022; starting with 8.5 billion gallons by 2008. The current requirement is 7.5 billion gallons by 2012, a goal the country is expected to exceed. The legislation includes research on ethanol pipelines, quality standards for biodiesel, and loan guarantees for advanced biofuels facilities.

"We are spending over $200,000 a minute on foreign oil and it’s time to start investing in the workers and farmers of the Midwest instead of the oil cartels of the Mid East,” said Klobuchar.  “Today is a major victory towards energy independence and investing in the renewable fuels of the future.”

Klobuchar had also introduced a bipartisan amendment to the Energy bill to require all major producers of greenhouse gases to report their emissions to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  The amendment enjoyed strong bipartisan support and was cosponsored by Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME); Chairman of the Senate Energy Committee Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Sen. Thomas Carper (D-RI), Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN), Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), and Sen. John Kerry (D-MA).

Klobuchar’s legislation was one of many amendments, including Chairman Bingaman’s renewable electricity standard, which did not receive a vote; however, the Senate appropriations committee has already authorized $2 million to implement the greenhouse gas registry and Klobuchar has vowed to pass the legislation at every opportunity available.

The Energy bill passed the Senate late last night by a vote of 65 to 27 and now moves on to a conference committee with the House version of the bill.

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