A key victory in the battle to break America’s dependence on foreign oil. By a vote of 63-30, the Senate approved an amendment to H.R. 6, The CLEAN Energy Act of 2007, sponsored by a bi-partisan group of Senators.
The language of the amendment is part of the Dependence Reduction through Innovation in Vehicles and Energy (DRIVE) Act, which is based on the Set America Free Blueprint and is aimed to reduce U.S. oil use by seven million barrels per day in 20 years – more than twice what we import from the Middle East today.
“The passage of this amendment is a key victory in the battle to break America’s dependence on foreign oil and strengthen our national security,†said Senator Joe Lieberman. “The United States of America today holds only 1.5 percent of the world’s oil reserves. A large portion of the world oil reserves are held by nations such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Venezuela, Russia and Libya. We cannot leave our national and economic security dependent on a resource that lies largely in the hands of others – including other nations that are either volatile or undemocratic or aligned against the United States.â€
The amendment would direct the Executive Branch to identify within 9 months, and to announce within 18 months, federal requirements in order to achieve a 2.5 million barrel-per-day reduction in U.S. oil consumption by 2016, a 7 million barrel-per-day reduction by 2026, and a 10 million barrel-per-day reduction by 2031; and direct the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to publish an analysis identifying the oil savings projected to be achieved by each measure to be announced, and demonstrating that the listed measures will achieve the overall specified oil-savings. It also includes specific requirements for the Executive Branch to evaluate, review, and update the action plan.