Proposed mileage standard is historic step in right direction

To the Editor:
With the summer vacation season coming to a close, Rhode Islanders who were traveling by car to their destinations experienced the harsh reality of high gas prices firsthand.
Luckily, President Barack Obama recently started the drive toward historic reductions in oil dependence, global warming pollution and the amount of money we pay at the gas pump by announcing a new 54.5 miles-per-gallon standard by 2025. This could go a long way toward ensuring America breaks its addiction to oil.
According to the Union of Concerned Scientists and the Natural Resources Defense Council, the new standard has the potential to cut annual gasoline use by 23 billion gallons. This would also reduce our annual emissions of global warming pollution by 280 million metric tons in 2030, and save Americans $80 billion at the pump annually.
Now, it’s critical that President Obama defend against any loopholes that could undermine these oil savings – the stronger this groundbreaking standard is, the closer we can come to ending our dependence on oil.
Channing Jones
Field associate, Environment Rhode Island