Energy Bill Passes House

Measure mandates 35mpg fuel efficiency for vehicles, 5X increase in ethanol production

By Nick McMaster, Newser Staff

Posted Dec 18, 2007 2:31 PM CST

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Energy Bill Passes House — A Poet ethanol plant in Chancellor, S.D. is shown in this Oct. 30, 2007 file photo. By mandating a boom in ethanol production from sources other than corn by 2022, the energy bill President Bush is expected to sign presents a huge opportunity for the nation's fledgling biofuels industry _ and uncertainty... (Associated Press)

The House approved a broad energy bill today that will increase fuel efficiency requirements for cars and trucks for the first time in 30 years and will boost ethanol production, Reuters reports. The bill, passed last week by the Senate after $13 billion in oil company taxes were excised, carried handily, 314-100. President Bush is expected sign it into law tomorrow .

The main feature of the bill, the Energy Independence and Security Act, is a requirement that US automakers produce a fleet-wide average fuel efficiency of 35mpg by 2020. The measure is intended to cut oil demand by 25 million barrels a day. The bill also legislates a five-fold increase in the production of ethanol, to 36 billion gallons, by 2022, and research incentives for alternative energy R&D. (More energy bill stories.)

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