Jewish Committee takes stance on energy bill

David A. Harris, executive director for the American Jewish Committee, in his national radio commentary urges listeners to contact their representatives to pass an energy bill that increases CAFE standards.

Harris's weekly messages on the CBS radio network air during the Osgood File. All AJC radio commentaries since 2001 are available at www.ajc.org.

The full text of the commentary follows:

CAFE. It's a place for coffee. It's also an acronym for "Corporate Average Fuel Economy" standards, the miles per gallon vehicles are supposed to get.

The U.S. Senate recently passed an energy bill. It called for a fleet-wide CAFE average of 35 miles per gallon for all cars and light trucks by the year 2020. That's great news.

We'd save over a million barrels of oil per day, much of it from unfriendly countries. Greenhouse gases would be reduced big time, meaning a healthier environment.

And consumers, you and me, could save as much as $25 billion per year.

But here's the rub. In the House, a similar bill is meeting resistance from some members of Congress, who, regrettably, are trying to water it down.

Please tell your representative today to stand up for higher CAFE standards. The Senate said yes. So should the House.

For the sake of our national security. For the sake of our environment. For our future's sake.

This story is provided by Worldwide Faith News.