Protecting Consumers from Pain at the Gas Pump

The document advocates for the Obama administration's proposed 2017-2025 vehicle standards to increase average fuel efficiency to approximately 50 mpg, arguing that fuel savings will outweigh the higher purchase price of cleaner vehicles. It dismisses expanded domestic drilling as an ineffective solution for reducing gas prices.

• Proposed vehicle standards for 2017 through 2025 aim to increase average fuel efficiency to approximately 50 mpg on government tests (about 37 mpg on the road), compared to the current average of 26 mpg on government tests (approximately 21 mpg on the road).
• Adopting these cleaner vehicle standards could result in lifetime savings of over $8,000 for vehicle owners, even after accounting for the increased cost of the technology. On a monthly basis, fuel savings are expected to offset higher loan payments by an average of about $40.
• The document asserts that increasing domestic oil drilling is not a viable short-term or long-term solution for consumer relief; an Energy Information Administration analysis indicates that expanded off-shore drilling in the outer continental shelf would only lower gas prices by roughly 3 cents per gallon in 20 years.
• To protect the economy from volatile oil prices, the document proposes cutting projected oil use in half over 20 years, noting that at prices of $100 per barrel, approximately $1 billion leaves the U.S. economy daily to pay for petroleum imports.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2012). Protecting Consumers from Pain at the Gas Pump. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Protecting-Consumers-from-Pain-at-the-Pump.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Protecting Consumers from Pain at the Gas Pump. 2012. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Protecting-Consumers-from-Pain-at-the-Pump.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Protecting Consumers from Pain at the Gas Pump |date=August 2012 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Protecting-Consumers-from-Pain-at-the-Pump.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2012protecting, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Protecting Consumers from Pain at the Gas Pump}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2012}, month = aug, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Protecting-Consumers-from-Pain-at-the-Pump.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }