NRDC President Frances Beinecke and Congressman Eliot Engel of New York.

On July 24, E2 members and guests joined New York Congressman Eliot Engel and NRDC President Frances Beinecke at a briefing to learn about efforts in Congress to pass important oil savings legislation. As one of the leading democratic co-sponsors of the Vehicle and Fuels Choices for American Security Act (H.R. 4409), Rep. Engel outlined some of the objectives of the bill, which aims to reduce our oil demand by 2.5 million barrels a day within a decade through a combination of efficiency, alternative fuels and new technologies. The bill has broad bipartisan support from 83 cosponsors. A map showing where Congressional support is represented can be found here. Although Rep. Engel believes the bill will not likely pass this year, due to the short legislative session and the elections, he remains optimistic that there will be movement next year. Oil savings was one of the top issues E2 addressed during our May trip to Washington, DC, and we will continue our advocacy efforts in the coming months to see that the legislation becomes law.