A Strong Federal Energy Bill will:

• Curb global warming pollutants.  The combined impact of an RES and an increased CAFE standard is equivalent to taking tens of millions of cars off the road.
  

• Boost our energy security.  These measures would dramatically increase our fuel diversity, making the U.S. less reliant on imported fossil fuels, like oil and natural gas and therefore less dependent on outside forces for our national energy policies.
  

• Create thousands of new jobs.  RES and CAFE would catalyze the development of two new markets of the economy - a renewable electricity sector and a clean car sector.  These thriving sectors would in turn lead to thousands of good paying jobs, billions in rural income, and billions more in investment in cutting edge technologies. 

What is a Federal Renewable Electricity Standard (RES)?

A requirement that all investor-owned utilities in the country provide an increasing share of their electricity from renewable energy sources, including wind, biomass, landfill gas and solar.

What is the Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standard (CAFE)?

A requirement that auto manufacturers produce cars and trucks with a minimum fuel efficiency, expressed in miles per gallon.

How Would an RES and New CAFE Standard Benefit the Country as a Whole?

• Significantly Cuts Global Warming Pollution
• An RES would be the country's first major initiative to cut this type of pollution in the electricity sector. 
• A revised CAFE standard would dramatically cut global warming emissions in the auto sector for the first time in decades, prevent 200 million tons of CO2 each year.
• Strengthens Our Energy Security
• Dramatically increases our fuel diversity, which makes the U.S. less reliant on imported fossil fuels, like oil and natural gas
• With less dependency, the U.S. can seriously reduce the risk of energy supply storages, interruptions, price spikes and manipulation
• Generates Thousands of Good Paying Jobs, Billions in Investment
• Creates hundreds of thousands of good paying jobs in the manufacturing and construction sectors
• Leads to billions in new rural income, resulting from increased investment in rural-based wind farms and biomass plants

How Would a National RES and CAFE Affect Energy Costs?

• New CAFE standards would save Americans $25 billion in gas costs.
• Under an RES, long-term electricity rates will be more stable than under a system which depends on fluctuating coal and natural gas prices. Resources, such as wind, have no fuel costs.
• In addition, long-term natural gas prices will drop, providing significant savings on heating bills, because increased renewable generation cuts the need for natural gas.